Westerman Lumber Office and House

Westerman Lumber Office and House
Location 201 S. 1st St., Montgomery, Minnesota
Coordinates 44°26′16″N 93°34′50″W / 44.43778°N 93.58056°W / 44.43778; -93.58056Coordinates: 44°26′16″N 93°34′50″W / 44.43778°N 93.58056°W / 44.43778; -93.58056
Area less than one acre
Built 1880s
MPS Le Sueur County MRA
NRHP Reference # 82004702[1]
Added to NRHP March 15, 1982

The Westerman Lumber Office and House is a historic building in Montgomery, Minnesota, United States. The private, commercial structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on March 15, 1982.[2] The structure is considered an outstanding example of the brick buildings built in the area of Montgomery and New Prague during the late 19th century, using bricks manufactured in the Minnesota River Valley.[3]

Structure

The Westerman Lumber Office and House is located in primary section of Montgomery's principle business district on the east side of First Street. An L-shaped building, it has an intersecting gable roof which folds at a 45-degree angle over the front facade. The structure was first constructed as a small, wood-frame office building in the 1880s. In 1895 a back section was added and the entire structure was veneered in a buff colored brick. Brick pilaster strips are located at the corners of the building and between the bays of the front ell. The west (front) facade uses rectilinear windows with green wood trim featuring a stylize floral design in the wood lintels; and double-hung windows are used on the second level. The windows on the north facade use arched brick hoods and decoractive panels composed of exposed brick corners beneath the sills.[4]

History

Henry E. Westerman settled in Le Sueur County in 1873 and moved to Montgomery to start a sawmill when the town was founded in 1877. He established the Westerman Lumber Company in 1889.[4] The building was constructed in the 1880s as a small, wood frame office building. Westerman purchased the structure in 1891 to use as an office. He added to the back of the structure in 1895 so it could house his family, and at the time had the structure veneered in brick. Westerman's company outgrew the building and it was sold in 1915; at that time the original entrance was bricked up. By 1996 it was being used as a private residence.[3]

The building was later restored by former airline pilot John A. Grimm, who also restored Montgomery's other NRHP building, Hilltop Hall.[5][6]

It currently houses Big Honza's Eatery and Big Honza's Museum of Unnatural History, a roadside attraction and cafe with a humorous take on Czech culture featuring Big Honza, who is like Paul Bunyan "except he's bigger, smarter, and has more wisdom."[5] It is an active participant in Montgomery's Kolacky Days Festival.[7]

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Nord, Mary Ann (2003). The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 0-87351-448-3.
  3. 1 2 "The Westerman Lumber Office and Residence", Minnesota Monthly, August 1996; copy accessed from Westerman Lumber Office & House file, State Historic Preservation Office in the Minnesota History Center.
  4. 1 2 Britta Bloomberg, Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form, August 1980; copy accessed from Westerman Lumber Office & House file, State Historic Preservation Office in the Minnesota History Center.
  5. 1 2 Gail Brown, "Big Honza", KSTP-TV, June 14, 2010, Accessed December 7, 2010.
  6. ↑ My Qualifications, JohnAGrim.com, Accessed December 7, 2010.
  7. ↑ Michelle Leon, Road Trip! Montgomery's Kolacky Days, City Pages, July 23, 2009, Accessed December 7, 2010.
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