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Home My WebLink About1998-12-16 PACKET 04.P.REQUEST OF CITY COURlCIL ACTIOiV COUNCIL AGENDA MEETING 17EM # DATE 1211 C198 _ �� PREPARED BY: Community Development Kim Lindquist C7RIGINATING DEPARTMENT STAFF AUTHOR ��,��,��..��>��.�.�.�«»��<.«.�....�� COUtVCIL ACTiON r�CGtUEST Designate the Hill-Gibson House, 7003-7007 East Point Douglas Road, as an historic site in the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks. STAFF RECOMMENDATIQN Accept staffs recommendation to delete the first sentence of the first recommendatio� (page 10) of the revised Preservation Pianning Report dated December 16, 1998, and adopt a resolution piacing property at 7003-7007 East Point Douglas Road on the City's Register of Nistoric Sites and �andmarks. BUDGET IMPLICATION $ N/A BUDGETED AMOUNT ADVISORY COMMISSION ACTION ❑ PLANNING ❑ PUBLIC SAFETY ❑ PUBLIC WORKS ❑ PARKS AND RECREATION ❑ HUMAN SERVICES/RIGNTS ❑ ECONOMIC DEV. AUTHORITY ❑ SUPPORT!!�G DQCLPIENTS DATE $ N/A (V/A ACTUAL AMOUNT FUNDING SOURCE REVIEWED ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ APPROVED ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ � MEMO/LETTER:1) Memo from John McCool dated December 8, 1998. 2) Memo from Bob Vogel dated December 9, 1998 � RESOLtJTION: Draft ❑ ORDINANCE: ❑ EfVGINEERING RECOMM�NDATIOfV: ❑ LEGAL RECOMMENDATION: � OTHER: Ftevised Preservation Planning Report DENBED ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ADMiNISTFiATORS COMM�NTS: ---- --� � �- �� ! _��" � 1 _Z�.{ , � -' 'L� . _�� ___-- J !c� �'- � �__ Gety Admir�istrator L7ate x a t x� w t x t n rr ,e w r: e v+t x+ r c i: n:� z m t t x c :t a x x e x a s tr re r>� :t +� x x cUU�ci� �c rie�� - r�x�r� ❑ aP�RavEO �� vw�p ❑ orNER � �•. � TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councii Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator FROM: John McCool, Senior Pianner DATE: December 8, 1998 RE: Hill-Gibson House, 7003-7007 East Point Douglas Road — City Registration of Historic Site Nomination Introduction The City's Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the City Historic Preservation O�cer (CHPO) is nominating the Hill-Gibson House, 7003-7007 East Point Douglas Road to the City's Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks. . . ., The public hearing nominating this property to the City's Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks was held on November 18. The Minnesota Historical Society's comments had not been received prior to the scheduled public hearing, which is partly the reason why City Council action was deferred till December 2. At the December 2 meeting, the State's comments still had not been received and this matter was deferred until December 16. Discussion The Preservation Planning Report has been revised since the draft copy dated November 18,1998. Most of the changes are mi�or. The issue relating to land use has been modified to recognize that residential or commercial use of this property should not necessarily conflict with preservation objectives. The landowner and Historic Preservation Officer have agreed to this revision. There is concern for the new recommendation used in the first sentence of the first condition to the design review and treatment recommendations (page 10 of the Report). The concern specifically pertains to the wording "City policy strongly discourages". Staff acknowledges that the recommendations contained in the Preservation Planning Report are intended primarily as guidelines and location is an important element in preserving City Council Members and Ryan Scnroeder Hill-Gibson Historic Site December 8, 1998 Page 2 the integrity of a structure that is historicaily significant. But this wording couid be interpreted or impiy that there is a formal city policy relating to removal, dismantiing or relocation of historic buildings and structures. With references to the City's Historic Preservation Ordinance and the Secretary of the Interior's general standards for historic preservation projects in the Preservation Planning Report, staff feeis this sentence is not necessary and should be deleted from the report. Comments from the Minnesota Historical Society shouid be available eariy next week and can easily be incorporated the revised Preservation Planning Report dated December 16, 1998. Recommendation Delete the first sentence of the first recommendation on page 10 of the Preservation Planning Report before accepting said Report and adopt a resolution piacing this property on the City's Register of Historic Sites and �andmarks. iu � � � 9 December 1998 TO: J McCool, Seniar Planner obert Vogel, City Historic Preservation Officer City Register Nominations I have made the necessary revisions to the preservation planning reports for designaring the Roberts House and the Hili-Gibson House as Historic Sites. Both reports reflect contributions made by property owners, city staff, and outside peer reviewers since the 18 November 1998 public hearings. The changes are all minor and do not substantially alter the original fmdings and recommendations. The draft resolutions have also been re-written to reflect the comments of our peer reviewers. Unfortunately, I have not yet received written comments from the Minnesota Historical Society. By state statute, MHS must comment on ail local historic site designations. The Society's historic preservation staff have assured me that their agency supports the Roberts and Hill-Gibson City Register designations and that the official agency comment letter is "in the mail" -- I hope to receive the letter before the Council meeting on the 16th. Call me (651-604-01'75) if you have any questions about the report documents or the registration process. 1:7�'�i]Rlyi[�I.1. C��o� i i7 RESOLUTION TO DESIGNATE THE HILL-GIBSON HOUSE, 7003-7007 EAST POINT DOUG�AS ROAD AS AN HISTORIC SITE IN THE CITY REGISTER OF HISTORIC SITES AND �ANDMARKS WHEREAS, the Hill-Gibson House, 7003-7007 East Point Douglas Road, Cottage Grove, Minnesota, has been nominated to the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks by the Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation; and WHEREAS, the Hiil-Gibson House has been evaluated as historicaily significant and determined eligible for listing in the City Register of Historic Sites and �andmarks on the basis of its historical associations and architectural design values; and WHEREAS, the Hill-Gibson House retains historic integrity of those features necessary to convey its significance; and WHEREAS, on November 18, 1998, the City Council of the City of Cottage Grove held a public hearing on the matter listing the Hill-Gibson House in the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, County of Washington, State of Minnesota, does hereby designate the Hill-Gibson House, 7003-7007 tast Point l�ouglas t�oaci as an Historic Sife pursuant to §13F�-4 of the �ity Gode. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by this resolution the City Council accepts and adopts the Preservation Planning Report of December 16, 1998, as submitted by the City Historic Preservatior Officer, as the o�cial registration document. This report also contains design review and treatment recommendations that will heip guide design review decisions in relation to the Hill-Gibson House Historic Site under §13A-7 of the City Code. Passed this 16th day of December, 1998. John D. Denzer, Mayor Atiest: Caron M. Stransky, City Clerk PRESERVATION PLANNING REPORT DOCUMENTATION SUPPORTING THE NOMINATION OF THE HILL-GIBSON HOUSE, 7003-7007 E. PT. DOUGLAS RD. TO THE CITY REGISTER OF HISTORIC , � , � , . Prepared by Robert C. Vogel City Historic Preservation Officer Submitted to and aPproved by the Cottage Grove City Council December 16,1998 INTRODUCTION This preservation planning report was prepared by Robert C. Vogel, City Historic Preservation Officer, and presents documentation supporting the nomination of the Hill-Gibson House to the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks pursuanY Yo City Code § 13A- 4. The City Register of Historic SiYes and Landmarks is the o£ficial IisY of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts significant in Cottage Grove history, architecCure, archeology, engineering, and culture. In general, the format of the report follows the Nationai Register of Historic Places Registration Form data elements and terminology. (For guidance, see National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registrarion Form.) The report reflects the comments and suggestions of many individuals from the City of Cottage Grove and the MinnesoYa Historical Society. We owe a great debt of gratitude Yo Yhe late Mr. Donald Gibson, who provided valuable information on his family's long connection witl� the historic site. Mr. Hugh Gibson, the present owner of fhe property, provided valuable encouragement to the registration effort and took time out of his busy schedule to review and comment on draft nomination documents. Speciai appreciation is extended to Mr. Gregory Rothweiler, who documented the property as the city's historic archiCeetural consultant in 1984, and to the members of the Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, past and present, who helped compile and analyze site data. ADMINISTRATIVE DATA Name of Property The historic name of the property being nominated is the Hill-Gibson House, commonly known as the Gibson House. It has been assi�ned fi1e nurnber WA-CGC-022 in the Cottage Grove hisYoric resources inventory. Locafion The house occupies the trapezoidai shaped Iot which forms part of the SE'/ SE'/o SEY< of Section 7 and the SW'/4 SW'/< SW'/4 of Section 8 in T27N R21 W. The street address is 7003-7007 EasC Pt. Douglas Road South [Fig. 1�. Ownership The property is owned by Mr. Hugh D. Gibson, 136 6th Street N.E., Washington, DC 20002; telephone (202) 544-4416. Acreage The historic site covers an area approximately 1.65 acres in extent. Rili-Gibson House - page 1 Boundaries The listed historic property includes all that part of parcel number 08-027-21-33-0002 south of East Pt. Douglas Road and parcel number 07-027-21-44-0007, being the area histoncally associated with the Hill-Gibson House that was not taken for highway and roadway construction. Zoning The property is zoned B-2 (retail business). Resource Category For preservation planning purposes, the Hill-Cribson House is caTegorized as an historic building. Number of Historic Resources Within the Property The property nominaYed to the CiCy Re�;ister consists of a main resource (fhe house) and two contributing secondary resources (a barn and a shed). Historic Function The Hill-Gibson House was originally constructed for domestic use and functioned as a multiple- unit (duplex) dwelling. Current Function The property remains in residential use as a multiple-unit (duplex) dwelling. Preservatio0 Planning Background The Hill-Gibson House was first recorded as an historic property by the Cottage Grove cultural resources reconnaissance survey in 1983, at which time it was misidentified as the ca. 1849 house built by pioneer 7ohn Atkinson. More intensive investigation as part of a thematic study of properties associated wiYh early Euro-American settlement documented iCs historical association with Lewis Hill (see Vogel, The New England of the West, pages 41-44). The property was included in thematic sYudies of Cottage Grove farmstead architecture (1989) and agricultural history resources (1994). The Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation determined the property eligible for listing in the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks and issued a finding of significance on September 27, 1990. A public hearing on the nomination of the Hill-Gibson House to Yhe City Register of Historic Hill-Gibson House - page 2 Sites and Landmarks was held before the City Councii on November 18, 1998. As required by state statute, a copy of Yhe Preservation Planning Report was submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Society for review and comment. Resolution 98- xxx, listing the Hill-Gibson House in Yhe City Register and accepting the PreservaYion Planning Report, was passed on December 16, 1998. DESCRIPTION Architectural Classification For preservation planning purposes, the Hill-Gibson House is classified as a nineteenth century vernacular cottage of the Gabled EII type (see National Register Bulletin 31: Surveyi�ig and Evaluating Yernacular Architectui�e, pages 32-33). Narrative Description The Hill-Gibson House is a one-and-one-half story, wood frame, vernacular cottage located on a large, wooded lot southeast of the CamePs Hump in the old Comers settlement [Fig. 2]. The l�ouse consists of two units: a c.1855 corc (north unit) and a a1893 wing (south unit), whicl� form an L-shaped ground plan composed of different sized rectangular rooms with less than room-sized projections from the principal mass [Fig. 3J. Structurally, the house is a combination of braced frame and balloon frame systems and features heavy timbers, rough (unhewn) log floor joists, and Ywo-by-four studs with nailed joints. The exterior walls are sheathed in 4'/z-inch beveled weatherboard siding with simple comer boards and a flat comice. The intersecting gable roofs have varying pitches, with slightly overhanging open eaves, rake moldings, and flat fascia. The original sawn wood shingles have been removed and replaced with composition shingles. The house rests upon a inixed materials foundation consisting of coursed rubble limestone, poured concrete, and concrete block. The building footprint measures approximately 36 by 24 feet. The house has a number of architecturat details that help define its historic charaeter. The west facade was historically the house's principal elevation, looking out across the farm yard toward the Point Douglas Road (now U.S. Highway 10-61), and features a 30-foot open front porch and two small roof dormers [Fig. 4]. There 'ss also a small portico with spindled wooden columns on the south side of the house [Fig. 5]. Historically, the house was heated by east iron stoves vented through small masonry flues, and three slender brick chimneys have been retained. The pattern of fenestration is typical of late-nineteenth cenCury vernacular houses, with symmetrically placed double-hung windows and paneled doors set in simple wooden casings. The west elevation features a distinctive grouping of windows on the ground floor of the south wing, consisting of a large square window surrounded on three sides by narrow window panes. Aithough the interior spaces have been extensively remodeled, the original floor plan is intact and there are no internal passages between the two dwelling units. Hill-Gibson House - page 3 The physica] history of the Hill-Gibson House has been reconstructed from documentary and oral history sources. Admittedly, some of these data aze vague and contradictory. Deed records show that Lewis Hill and his wife obtained their farm holding aY the Corners in 1855, which fixes the approximate date of construction of the original house. Careful examination of the construction materiats and form of the oldest parts of Yhe historic strucfure support the theory that the north unit of the Hilt House is the original mid-nineteenth century dwelling. As built, it had a simple rectangular ground plan and was one story in height with a side-gabled roof covering a laterally arranged suite of multi-purpose rooms. Generally, the north unit incorporates many of the traifs hisYorically associated with the Hall-and-Parlor type of folk house ChaY was introduced into Minnesota by New England immigrants. According to information provided by the late Mr. Donald Gibson (1904-1993), the Hills enlarged their original dwelling during the 1870's in order to accommodate the family of their married daughter, Emma (1857-1899). However, this appears to be contradicted by county assessor records and by the physical record of construcYion materials, building shape, and design details, which su�gesC that' the soutl� wing was probably added c.1900 (possibly as early as the 1890's or as IaYe as dze 1910's). The 1905 state census shows that Abbie Hiil was sfiil living on Che farm at the Corners in the household of her unmarried son Frederick (b. I 876). Deed and tax records show that the property passed through several hands before it was acquired by Joseph and Gertrude Gibson in 1918. At about this time (assessment records suggest 1920, but Gibson family tradition infers an earlier date), the core of the house was enlarged with the addition of the present-day kitchen off the north unit. Gibson, a railroad worker from St. Paul, used the place as a"summer farm" and according to his son he n�ade only minor alterations Yo the house. The bathroom and east side entry additions were made in 1946. After ponald Gibson acquired the old summer farm in 1954, there was a succession of interior remodelings and exterior repairs, culminating in major refurbishing of the property by the present owner, Hugh D. Gibson, during the 1990's. During the Gibsons' tenure, both Yhe Pt. Douglas Road and the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad tracks were realigned and reconstructed, dramatically changing the house's relationship to the historic Yransportation corridor. Since the construction of fhe Highway 61/80th Street interchange in the early 198Cs, the house fronts east cnto Easf Pt. Douglas Road, which was consCrueted in 1982 as a serviee roalway off 80Ch Sfreet. Tl�e historic v'sewshed Cowazd the west and south is now obscured by the 80th Street/Grange Boulevard overpass, although because of grading and vegetative screening, the intrusion of the highway corridor upon the historic setting has been minimized. The house itself is sited amongst scattered deciduous and evergreen trees on an undulafing bench at the base of a steep, wooded slope that rises rnore Chan 100 feet to the summit of the CamePs Hump, a prominent local topographic landmark. The property is served by municipal water and sewer and has been zoned commercial since the 1960's. The Hill-Gibson property was used as a farmstead for more than a century. However, all but two of the outbuildings shown on air photos flown during 1936-1970 have been razed. The most conspicuous surviving outbuilding is the medium-sized general purpose barn located east of the house (where it was moved a short distance from its origina] site in c.1982 by Donald Gibson to save it from being razed during construction of the Highway 61/80th Street interchange and Hitl-Gibson House - page 4 service road). This two-story frame structure has a gabled roof and vertical board-and-batten siding [Fig. 6J. The other outbuiiding is a small frame shed with a gabled roof and horizontal drop siding walls �Fig. 7]. Both the barn and the shed are tradiYional outbuilding forms and exhibit design CraiYs (e.g., overhanging eaves, exposed rafter tails) suggestive of an early- twentieth century origin. While they contribute to the overall historic character of the property, neiChex is individually eligible for nomination to the City Register. � Condition The Hill-Gibson House is in an excellent state of preservation. The present owner, Hugh D. Gibson, has invested in substantial rehabilitation of the exterior finishes and some architectural details, including the front and side porches and windows. The interior of the house has also been refurbished. It is one of the best preserved nineteenth century farmhouses in the city. EVALUATION Applicable City Register Criteria The Hill-Gibson House has been evaluated as eligible for listing in the City Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks because it meets the following criteria contained in the city's historic preservation ordinance: Its character, interest, or value as part of the history or cultural heritage of the city, the state or the United States (§13A-4(a)); Its association with persons or events that have made a significant contribution to the culTural heriTage of The city (§13A-4(b)); Its embodiment of distinguishing characteristics of architecture type or sfyle, or elements of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship (§ 13A-4(d)). Areas of Significance The Hill-Gibson House is historicaliy significant in the areas of exploration/settlement and agriculture. It is also significant as a rare surviving example of ninefeenfh century vemacular cottage architecture. Period of Significance The property attained historical and architectural significance when the north unit was constructed by Lewis Hill in a 1855. The closing date for its period of significance is 1946. Hill-Gibson House - page 5 SigniCcant Dates Major events in the history of Yhe Hill-Gibson House occurred in: c.1855 - date of conshuction of core (north unit) a 1900 - daYe of construction of wing (souYh unit) 1917 - property purchased by Joseph Gibson 1946 - house remodeled Significant Persons The Hill-Gibson House is historically associated with the lives of pioneer settler Lewis Hill (1822-1888), and his wife, Abbie Welch Hill (1836-?). Architect Builder The Hill-Gibson House was noY designed by a professionally trained architect and tl�e names of tl�e builders or contractors are not known. Historic Context The Hill-Gibson House is significant within the local historic contexts, "Early Euro-American Settlement (1838-1870)" and "Agriculture and Rural Life (1870-1940)," as ouflined in thc city historic preservation plan. Narrative Statement of Significance The significance of the Hill-Gibson House is Che producY of its historical associations and azchitectural design values. Contextually, iY relates Co two locally importanY paCterns of events: the settlement of the Corners neighborhood and Cottage Grove's agricultural development. It is also associated with the lives of pioneer settlers Le�vis and Abbie ::ill. In terms of;ts design and construction, it is a noYable example of nineteenth century cottage arehitecture and a rare surviving example of the vernacular Gabled Ell house type. Bui1C in two stages between c.l 855 a�id c.1900, it provides an outstanding physical record of the social and architecYural history of rural CotYage Grove during Che late nineteenth and early twentieth cenYuries. The first permanent Euro-American setTler aY the Corners was John Atkinson (1805-1892), who emigrated to Cottage Grove from Lincoln County, Maine, in 1846. Atkinson established his original claim near present-day Old CotCage Gmve village, but in 1849 he moved his family to a new farm in Yhe NEY< NW'/< NW'/4 of Section 17, in the westem "corner" of the CotYage Grove settlement. (Corner was a colloquial New England term for the west end of a village or a rural neighborhood located at the interior point where two converging boundary lines meet.) Because of its proximiCy to the junction of the Grey Cloud, Cottage Grove and Stillwater Road (modern Hill-Gibson House - page 6 80th Street) with the Territorial Road that ran from Pt. Douglas to St. Paul (modern Highway 61), Atkinson's Corners was an important locus of early setClement, with a school (founded 1853), post office (commissioned 1861), and several prosperous farms. Sometime after 1873, Atkinson moved away from Cottage Grove, but left his name imprinted on local geography at the Atkinson Cemetery. The Corners remained a distinctive rural neighborhood within Cottage Grove Township until Che 1930's. Like Atkinson, Lewis Hill was one of Cottage Grove's original Yankee pioneers. Two brief sketehes of his life were published during the lafe nineteenth century. The first, presumably compiled from an interview with the subject, appeared in Wamer and Foote's 1881 History of Washington County: Lewis Hill is one of the early pioneers of Washington county. He was born at Hollis, York county, Maine, 1822. When he attainted his majority he started for the Falls of St. Croix. During the tedious joumey he was laid low with fever and ague. He found many kind and generous friends who cared for him and assisted him in procuring work after recovering. In t 844 he wenC to Cottage Grove, and engaged in farming soine years, then sold and removed to Dakota county, in 1855 A few years later he returned to CoCtage Grove, and ]ocated at his present residence at the Corners. He married Miss Abbie Welch in 1854. Emma C., Jessie L., and Frederick E. G. are their living children. Pioneer chronicler William H. C. Folsom printed an abridged version of Warner and Foote's sketch on page 363 ofhis Fifty Years in the Northwest, published in 1888, Yhe year Hill died. The basic facts contained in these accounts are borne out by the archival record. Hil]'s name appears in several entries in William R. Brown's 1846 diary (Loehr, ed., Minnesota Farmers' Diaries, pages 72, 73, and 79} and his original claim in the SW'/4 SW'/< SE'/< of SecYion 4(part of the tract known today as Shepard's Woods) is described in Robert Watson's pioneer memoir (Notes on the Early Settlement of Cottage Grove, pages 7, 9, and T 0) and in an arCicle which appeared in the SY. PaullJinnesoia Pioneer on August 30, i849. The earliesi official record of Hill's presence in Cottage Grove is contained in the Washington County Recorder's book of origina] land entries, which shows that he entered claims in Sections 3 and 4 between 1848 and 1854. The Minnesota Pioneer of April 3, 1850, contains his notice offering for sale bis 80 acre farm "with log buildings, and 40 acres of woodlands, the timber and prairie joining," and while this may mark Yhe beginning of his CoYYage Grove hiatus, he was back in south Washington County within a few years, For he voted in fhe territorial legisiative election held on October 11, 1853 (.Tournal of the House of Represenaatives, page 103). Deed records show that Hill purchased a small farm at the Comers in 1855, where the 1857 state census found him domiciled with his wife, Abbie, and fheir infanY daughYer Emma. Abbie Welch Hill was born in Maine in 1836, the daughter of David and Betsy Welch, who immigrated to Minnesota in the 1840's. After they were mamed in 1854, Lewis and Abbie farmed and raised three children in the house at the Corners. Lewis was elected justice of the peace in April, 1861, and Iater served on Yhe board of Hitl-Gibson House - page 7 directors of the Atkinson Cemetery Association. He died on February i l, 1888 (the township register of deaths records the cause of death as "genl. debility"). Abbie died sometime after 1905 (fhe date on her tombstone inscription is partially obscured) and was buried alongside Lewis and the graves of their three youngest children in the Atkinson Cemetery. Land use at the Hill-Gibson farm between a1855 and 1946 reflects the dominant trends in Cottage Grove's agriculturai history. The first Yankee farmers settled in the oak openings (also called oak savanna) thaY gave Cottage Grove its name and showed a preference for homesites on elevated, wooded tracts near the margins of Yhe high prairie. In its natural state, the Comers locality would have been extremely attractive to Yankee pioneers like Atkinson and Hill, with its dense stands of bur oak timber interspersed with tallgrass prairie and prairie wetlands, and an abundance of good water (from ponds and springs) and wood for fuel and building materials. The Corners was also situated wiYhin the major railroad-highway transportation corridor linking St. Paul and Hastings, and the accessibility of these urban markets favared the development of coinmercial agriculture. Wheat was the chief crop during the pioneer period, but its importance diminished after a 1890 as local farming became more diversified. During the period of late nineteenth agricultural expansion (c1870 to 1915), farm output from the Corners neighborhood consisted chiefly of wheat, com, oats, hay, and dairy products. The large tracts of woodlands in the West Draw High(ands also provided fanners with cash income from the sale of timber, firewood and other wood products. Where farming was still carried on in the first half of the twentieth century, dairying and livestock raising were more important than cash grain crops: while operating the old Hill place as a 55-acre "summer farm," Donald Gibson ren�embered fields of corn, oats, and hay and a milk herd (Washington County Bulletin, July 19, 1979). The Corners remained primarily agricultural until after World War II, when Che rapid influx of suburban immigration transformed much of the neighborhood for urban uses. In terms of its architecYure, the Hill-Gibson House exhibits all of the diagnostic traits which distinguish the Gabled Ell vernacular house type. The great majority of the dwellings constructed in Cottage Grove during the middle decades of the nineteenth century were simple vernacular houses that were devoid of azchitecturai style and derived their basic form and design characteristics from t�he gabled, one-story, frame houses traditsor,ally erected by farm amilies in the New England states. It is likely that the prototype of Hill's a 1855 house was the Hall-and- Parlor folk house. The south wing of the house reflects the late-nineteenth century cottage movement influenced by the pattern book designs of Andrew Jackson Downing, Calvert V aux, and others. However, the pattern langua�e is entirely vernacular and consistenY with Gabled EIl farmhouses constructed between the 1880's and 1920's. It is a modest, practical, sensible house that was intelligently planned and built with durable materials by expert workmen striving for comfort and beauty. Related Historic Properties Althougn the Hill-Gibson House has been nominated for individual listing in the City Register, it is related physically and historically to at least three other significant historic properties: the Hili-(Gibson House - page 8 Wiiliam R. Munger House (WA-CGC-031), the AYkinson Cemetery (WA-CGG181), and the Camel's Hump (WA-CGC-207). Bibliography Andreas, Alfred T. An IZlustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Minnesota. Chicago: Andreas, :874. City of Cottage Grove. Township Records, 1858-1965 (unpublished documents). CotTage Grove City Hall. Folsom, William H. C. Fifry Years in the Northwest. St. Paul: Pioneer Press Co., 1888. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form. National Register Bulletin 16A. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1991. Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Minnesota During the Fifih Session of the Legislative Assembly. St. Paul: Territorial Printer, 1854. Loehr, Rodney C., ed. Minnesota Fariners' Diaries: William R. Brow�z, 1845-46, Mitchell Y. Jackson, 1852-63. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1939. Mii�nesota Pioneer (St. Paul), Augusf 30, 1849, and April 3, 1850. Minnesota State Census, 1857 (microfilm). Minnesota Historicai Society, Sf. Paul. Minnesota State Poptilation Census Schedules, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905 (microfilm). Minnesota Historieal Society, St. Paul. Plat Book of Washington County, M_innesota. Minneapolis: Northwest Publishing Company, 1901. Ramsey & Washington Counties [map]. Minneapol�s: Foote & Co., 1887. St. Croix Valley Old Settlers' Association. Records, 1877-1922 (unpublished). Minnesofa Historical SocieYy, St. PauL Surveying and Evaluating Vernacular Architecture. National Register Bulletin 31 (draft). Washington: U.S. Department ofthe Interior, National Park Service, [1987). U.S. Bureau of the Census. Federal Population Schedules, ?th, 8th, 9th, and l Oth censuses of the United States: Minnesota, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (microfilm). Minnesota Historical Society, St. PauL Hiil-Gibson House - page 9 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. Washington County Air PhoYos, 1936, 1953, 1964, 1970. Borchert Map Library, University of Minnesofa, Minneapolis. U.S. General Land Office. Surveyor field noYes and plat of T2'IN R21 W. Minnesota Secretary of State's Office, St. Paul. Vogel, Robert C. The New England of the West: A Survey of Historic Properties Associated widz Early Anie�•ican Settlement in Cottage Grove, Minnesota (1838-1870). Cottage Grove: Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, Cultural Resources Survey, September, 1990. Warner, George E, and Charles M. Foote, comps. History of Washingfon County and tlie St. Croix Valley, including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota by Rev. Edward D. Neill, and Outlines of the History of Minnesota, hy J. Fletcher Williarns. Minneapolis: North Star Publishing Co., 1882. Washington Coti�nty Bulletira (Cottage Grove), July 19, 19'79. Washington County Assessor. Assessment Records. Washington CounYy Government Center, Stillwater. Washington County Recorder. Original entries and deeds. Washington County Govemmeilt Center, Stillwater. Watson, Robert. Notes on the Ear1y Settlement of Cottage Grove and Vicinity, Washington County, Minn. Northfield: privately printed, 1924. DESIGN REVIEW AND TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONS City policy strongty discourages the removat, dismaniling or relacation of historic buildings and structures. The preferred treatmenf of the Hill-Gibson House is rehabilitation as ueeded to provide for an efficient compatible use of the building while preserving those portions or features that convey its historical, cultural, and architectural values. This should not be intetpreted as requiring restoration of missing architecYural details (snch as the original wood shingle roofing). In reviewing applications for city permits for work that will alter the physieal appearance of the exterior of the hisforic house or its outbuildings (traditional wooden bam and shed} pursuant to City Code §13A-'7, the City will issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed work only if it determines that the project is consistent with applicable provisions of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The Secretary of the Interior's standards establish general, non-technical requirements that are Hilt-Gibson House - page 10 intended to provide a consistent basis for design review decisions and are to be applied to specific buildings and work projects in a reasonable manner. Permit reviews under City Code § 13A-7 will be guided by the design review and treatmenY recommendations contained in this report. In the event of any inconsistency between these design review and treatment recommendations and the Secretary of the Interior's standards or guidelines for histaric preservation, the design review and treatment recommendationsshall confrol. 3. The permit review requirements contained in City Code §13A-7 do not apply to interior work or to activities that do not require City permits, such as painting, selection of colors, refinishing, and ordinary maintenance. In general, § 13A-7 requirements do not apply to the installaYion, aiteration, or removal of shutters, vents, guYters, antennae, exYerior lighting, holiday decorations or similar small, easily removable exterior attachments. Interior connections between the two units of the historic house rnay be installed or removed, and exterior wall insulation may be installed or removed in the historic house or outbuildings, without a Certificate of Appropriateness. 4. Residential or commercial use of the historic house should not necessarily conflict with preservation objectives, provided that the use is compatible with the historic character of the property and requires minimal alteration of Che building and its environmenY. If it is adapted to commercial use, the distinctive design features, construction techniques, and maCerials that characterize Yhe historic property will need to be preserved in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's standards for rehabiliYation. 5. The gabled ell ground plan, roof lines, siding, entrance and window openings, and porches aze the architectural features of greatest importance in defining the flistoric character of the house. Removal or substantial alYeraYion of these distinetive architecYural features should be avoided unless they are deteriorated beyond repair. However, it may be necessary to make limited modifications to the historic house plan to accommodate future uses of the property. 6. New additions and alterations to the exterior of the historic house and outbuildings should be compatib;e with the h:storic character of the prcpe:ty and should be done in such a manner that if they were to be removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic structure would not be impaired. New additions and exterior alterations shouid be reasonable in size, seale, and number. New or replacement roofing materials do not have to match the original wood shingles or the existing composition shingles to be compatible with the historic character of the house. 8. The Ciry may approve the installaYion of new or replacement siding panels that differ slightly in size, composition, or Cexture from the existing weatherboard siding if the City determines that visual compatibility will be achieved. The relationshi� between the house and landscape features on the buildii�g site (trees, HiII-Gibson House - page i i setbacks, views, driveway, outbuildings) should be considered when planning any substantial additions or alterations to Yhe historic house or outbuildings, especially if adaptation to non-residential use is envisioned. 10. The City encourages currenY and future owners of the historic house to retain, protect and rehabilitate (as needed) the existing hardwood floors and the timber floor joists that help support the first floor of the 7003 East Pt. Douglas Road unit of the house. 11. The City encourages current and future owners of the historic house to retain, protect, and rehabiliCate (as needed) the traditional wooden bam and shed located on the historic site. In addition, owners are encouraged to retain mature healthy trees located on the historic site in such a manner so as to safeguard the historic integrity of the house. Aili-Gibson Aouse - page 12 Fig. i. 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