Alexander Ramsey House

Last updated

Alexander Ramsey House
Alexander Ramsey House 2015.jpg
The Alexander Ramsey House from the southeast
USA Minnesota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location265 Exchange Street South
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°56′30″N93°6′16″W / 44.94167°N 93.10444°W / 44.94167; -93.10444 Coordinates: 44°56′30″N93°6′16″W / 44.94167°N 93.10444°W / 44.94167; -93.10444
Built1868
ArchitectMonroe Sheire, John Summers
Architectural style Second Empire
Part of Irvine Park Historic District (ID73000993)
NRHP reference No. 69000077 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 25, 1969

The Alexander Ramsey House is a historic house museum in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States; the former residence of Alexander Ramsey, who served as the first governor of Minnesota Territory and the second governor of the state of Minnesota. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It is also a contributing property to the Irvine Park Historic District. [2]

Contents

It is located at 265 Exchange Street South in the Irvine Park area, which was one of the first trendy neighborhoods in Minnesota. [3] Designed by noted early Minnesota architect Monroe Sheire, the house is one of the nation's best-preserved Victorian homes, featuring carved walnut woodwork, marble fireplaces, crystal chandeliers, and many original furnishings. [4]

The Ramsey family began building the house in 1868, including innovations like hot water radiators, gas lights and hot and cold running water, and when it was completed in 1872, the total cost of construction was nearly $41,000. [4] [5] To furnish the house, Ramsey's wife Anna filled two boxcars with fashionable and expensive Renaissance-revival furniture from the A.T. Stewart Company Store in New York to bring home to Minnesota. [5]

The Ramseys' daughter Marion married Charles Furness in a lavish wedding in the parlor in 1875. [6]

The 15-room house remained in the Ramsey family until the death of Alexander Ramsey's last surviving granddaughter Anita in 1964. [5] The house and its contents were left to the Minnesota Historical Society, which now operates it as a museum with tours offered year-round. [6] They offer special programs such as "A Victorian Christmas at the Ramsey House" in which the house is decorated for the holidays and visitors can discover how the Ramseys would have prepared for and celebrated Christmas. [7] Tours show the dining table set with the family's china and crystal, with a Christmas tree decorated with the family's own ornaments. [3]

Ramsey House large parlor ca. 1884 Ramsey house parlor 1884.jpg
Ramsey House large parlor ca. 1884
Ramsey House reception room ca. 1884 Ramsey house reception room 1884.jpg
Ramsey House reception room ca. 1884

Related Research Articles

Alexander Ramsey American politician

Alexander Ramsey was an American politician. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s. He was the first Minnesota Territorial Governor.

Minnesota Governors Residence Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Minnesota Governor's Residence, informally referred to as the Governor's Mansion, serves as the official home of the governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The house, located at 1006 Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, is on 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) of land. The building is slightly more than 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2) in size.

Villa Louis United States historic place

The Villa Louis is a National Historic Landmark located on St. Feriole Island, in Prairie du Chien, southwestern Wisconsin. The villa and estate are a historical museum operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The site has been restored to its appearance during the late 19th century, when it was the estate of the prominent H. Louis Dousman family, descendants of a fur trader and entrepreneur.

Morris–Butler House Historic house in Indiana, United States

The Morris–Butler House is a Second Empire-style house built about 1864 in the Old Northside Historic District of Indianapolis, Indiana. Restored as a museum home by Indiana Landmarks between 1964 and 1969, the American Civil War-era residence was the non-profit organization's first preservation project. Restoration work retained some of its original architectural features, and the home was furnished in Victorian and Post-Victorian styles. Its use was changed to a venue for Indiana Landmarks programs, special events, and private rentals following a refurbishment in 2013. Regular daily tours of the property have been discontinued.

Frank B. Kellogg House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Frank B. Kellogg House is a historic house at 633 Fairmount Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is listed as a National Historic Landmark for its association with Nobel Peace Prize-winner Frank B. Kellogg, co-author of the Kellogg–Briand Pact. Kellogg Boulevard in downtown Saint Paul is also named for him. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is also a contributing property to the Historic Hill District.

F. Scott Fitzgerald House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The F. Scott Fitzgerald House, also known as Summit Terrace, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, is part of a group of rowhouses designed by William H. Willcox and Clarence H. Johnston Sr. The house, at 599 Summit Avenue, is listed as a National Historic Landmark for its association with author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The design of the houses was described as the "New York Style" in which unit was given a distinctive character found in some rowhouses in eastern cities. Architecture critic Larry Millett describes it as "A brownstone row house that leaves no Victorian style unaccounted for, although the general flavor is Romanesque Revival." The Fitzgerald house is faced with brownstone and is two bays wide with a polygonal two-story window bay on the right, and the entrance, recessed under a round arch that is flush with the bay front, on the left. The mansard roof has a cross-gable with two round-arch windows and decorative finials.

Irvine Park Historic District Historic house in Minnesota, United States

Irvine Park is a neighborhood just west of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that contains a number of historic homes. The neighborhood was platted by John Irvine and Henry Mower Rice in 1849. At the center of the neighborhood is Irvine Park, a New England-style public square. The neighborhood is a district listed on the National Register of Historic Places and also designated by the city as a historic district.

Neighborhoods in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul, Minnesota is noted for its neighborhoods. The city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city. Saint Paul is partially governed by not 15 but 17 City Districts.

Dr. William W. Mayo House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Dr. William W. Mayo House, located at 118 North Main Street in Le Sueur, Minnesota, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It was built in 1859 by James Mayo and his brother, William Worrall Mayo who emigrated from Salford, United Kingdom, to the United States in 1846 and became a doctor. William's older son, William James Mayo was born in the home in 1861. William W. Mayo aided pioneers and their families during the Dakota War of 1862 and later moved to Rochester where he became the examining surgeon for the southern Minnesota Civil War draft board. He and his sons, William and Charles founded the 27-bed Saint Marys Hospital which opened in 1889 following the 1883 Rochester tornado. They later founded their namesake, the Mayo Clinic.

Burbank–Livingston–Griggs House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Burbank–Livingston–Griggs House is the second-oldest house on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was designed in Italianate style by architect Otis L. Wheelock of Chicago and built from 1862 to 1863. The work was commissioned by James C. Burbank, a wealthy owner of the Minnesota Stage Company. Later, four significant local architects left their mark on the landmark structure.

Justus Ramsey Stone House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Justus Ramsey Stone House is the oldest known house still standing in Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The house, located at 252 West 7th Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is an example of a Saint Paul residence of a settler of some financial means.

Kimberly Crest Historic house in California, United States

Kimberly Crest House and Gardens is a French château-style Victorian mansion located in Redlands, California. The property is a registered California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Dakota County, Minnesota

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. Dakota County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, bounded on the northeast side by the Upper Mississippi River and on the northwest by the Minnesota River. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Ramsey County, Minnesota

This is a complete list of National Register of Historic Places listings in Ramsey County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

Hooper–Bowler–Hillstrom House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Hooper–Bowler–Hillstrom House was built in 1871 in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, United States, by Sandford A. Hooper, a local businessman and promoter of the town. In 1886 it conveyed to Samuel Bowler, a founder of the State Bank of Belle Plaine and lumber-yard owner. Bowler added a new kitchen, buttery, and a five-hole, two-story outhouse that is connected to the house via a skyway. He also added a copper-lined bathtub. When the Bowlers moved to Denver, Colorado in 1901, the clapboard frame house was sold to Alfred Hillstrom whose family lived in the house until it was purchased in 1975 by the town's Historical Society. It is now owned by the city of Belle Plaine and is open to the public. Current furnishings include three periods-1850s and 1860s, Victorian, and early 1900s.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Olmsted County, Minnesota

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Olmsted County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which the latitude and longitude coordinates are included below, may be seen in an online map.

Sibley Historic Site Historic government buildings in Minnesota, United States

The Sibley Historic Site is the site of Henry Hastings Sibley's home, who was the regional manager of the American Fur Company and Minnesota's first governor. It is one of the 26 historical sites that are operated by the Minnesota Historical Society. Located in what is now the city of Mendota, the site consists of four limestone buildings and a large lawn area. Three of the buildings are open for touring, including a fur company cold store from 1843 and the 1840 home of fur trader and hotelier Jean-Baptiste Faribault.

Comstock House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Comstock House is a historic house museum in Moorhead, Minnesota, United States. It was built for Solomon Comstock and his family from 1882 to 1883 in a mix of Queen Anne and Eastlake style. Comstock (1842–1933) was one of Moorhead's first settlers and an influential figure in business, politics, civics, and education in the growing city and state.

Folsom House Historic house in Minnesota, United States

The Folsom House is a historic house museum at 272 West Government Street in Taylors Falls, Minnesota, United States.

Carver Historic District United States historic place

Carver Historic District is a historic district in Carver, Minnesota, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for having state-level significance in the themes of architecture, commerce, exploration/settlement, industry, and transportation. The district encompasses about 100 contributing properties mostly built from 1855 to 1880. It was nominated for being the well-preserved core of a Minnesota River town, and Carver County's greatest concentration of historically and architecturally significant buildings.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Historic Hill District". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Finding Minnesota:Alexander Ramsey House". WCCO-TV. November 27, 2006. Retrieved October 11, 2007.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 "Alexander Ramsey House". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 Caron, Barbara Ann (Spring 1995). "The Alexander Ramsey House: Furnishing a Victorian Home". Minnesota History . 54 (5): 194–209. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Alexander Ramsey House History". mnhs.org. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  7. "A Victorian Christmas at the Ramsey House" . Retrieved September 21, 2016.