William Sauntry House and Recreation Hall
William Sauntry House and Recreation Hall | |
| NRHP reference No. | 82003080[1] |
|---|---|
| Added to NRHP | April 20, 1982 |
The William Sauntry House and Recreation Hall is a historic property in Stillwater, Minnesota, United States, consisting of a late-nineteenth-century house and a 1902 addition styled after a Moorish palace. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its local significance in the themes of architecture and industry.[2] It was nominated for its association with prosperous local lumberman William Sauntry (1845–1914) and for its fanciful recreation hall, one of Minnesota's best examples of a folly and a rare use of Moorish Revival architecture.[3] Now in separate ownership, the recreation hall has been restored as a private home while the William Sauntry Mansion operates as a bed and breakfast.[4]
Description
The generally rectangular form of the mansion is complicated with gables and hip roofed bays. It is generally Queen Anne in style, but has Eastlake movement millwork, an Italianate tower, and Gothic Revival details on the gables.[5] The lower levels have horizontal siding while the attic level boasts fishscale shingling. A large porch with Corinthian order columns wraps around the front of the building.[3]
Aligned directly behind the mansion is the recreation hall. This rectangular addition was originally attached to the main building by an enclosed second-level walkway. The exterior is
History
William Sauntry was born in poverty around 1845 in
Sauntry married Eunice Tozer, the daughter of a business partner, in 1881—around the same time he commissioned a house in Stillwater's North Hill neighborhood. Initially a modest 40 by 22 feet (12.2 by 6.7 m), the house grew along with Sauntry's fortune.[5] By this time Sauntry was estimated to be worth $2 million, and a series of architectural modifications added rooms, towers, porches, and upper stories to the house until it comprised 28 rooms and 7,000 square feet (650 m2).[4]
By 1889 Sauntry had added a
By the early 20th century, however, the forests of the Upper Midwest were logged out, the St. Croix Log Boom went out of business, and Sauntry's attempts to invest in mining were not turning a profit. On November 10, 1914, the 69-year-old lumberman left his Blair Flats apartment in Saint Paul and checked into a downtown hotel, where he shot himself in the head. Although Sauntry's fortunes were in some decline, his wife and other close associates were mystified by his abrupt suicide.[4]
Following Sauntry's death, the house and recreation hall were divided into separate properties. In 1920 the recreation hall was converted into a three-unit apartment by its new owner, who had the pool and bowling alley removed and the ceilings lowered. In 1999 new owners began restoring the hall while making it functional as a single-family home. Over the course of a decade they restored the ballroom and foyer to their original decor, complemented with appropriately exotic furniture. The main house was also purchased by new owners in 1999, who made their own restorations and opened the property as a bed and breakfast.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Sauntry, William, House and Recreation Hall". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
- ^ a b c d e Harvey, Thomas (March 1981). "Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form: William Sauntry House & Recreation Hall" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ ISBN 978-0-87351-929-8.
- ^ a b Tschofen, Carmen (2011-05-06). "626 4th St N". Stillwater's Heirloom & Landmark Sites Program. City of Stillwater and City of Stillwater's Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
- ^ Tschofen, Carmen (2011-05-06). "625 5th St N". Stillwater's Heirloom & Landmark Sites Program. City of Stillwater and City of Stillwater's Heritage Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
