September 2012 - Waseca County Historical Society

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The Cover Story: About Preservation EffortsWhat does “historic” really mean?What qualifies as “historic” when we’re talking abouthouses and buildings? If your house is 50 years or older,it meets one qualification for a listing in the NationalRegister of Historic Places, as well as local designationthrough the Waseca Heritage Preservation Commission.What is the National Register of Historic Places?The National Park Service administers the National Registerof Historic Places. The National Register is the official federallist of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objectssignificant in American history, architecture, archeology,engineering, and culture. National Register properties havesignificance to the history of their community, state, or thenation. Nominations for listing historicproperties come from State HistoricPreservation officers, from FederalPreservation Officers for propertiesowned or controlled by the UnitedStates government, and from TribalHistoric Preservation Officers forproperties on tribal lands. Privateindividuals and organizations, localgovernments, and American Indiantribes often initiate this process andprepare the necessary documentation.A professional review board ineach state considers each propertyproposed for listing and makes a recommendationon its eligibility.Below, the Ed Herter house on Elm AvenueE., was built in the Queen Anne Victorianarchitectural style in 1906; below, the housein 2012.Criteria for EvaluationThe quality of significance in American history, architecture,archeology, engineering, and culture is presentin districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objectsthat possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials,workmanship, feeling, and association, and:a) That are associated with events that have made asignificant contribution to the broad patterns of ourhistory; orb) That are associated with the lives of persons significantin our past; orc) That embody the distinctive characteristics of atype, period, or method of construction, or thatrepresent the work of a master, or that possesshigh artistic values, or that represent a significantand distinguishable entity whose components maylack individual distinction; ord) That have yielded, or may be likely to yield,information important in prehistory orhistory.The procedure for getting a property listed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places is to, first, fill out the forms andpaperwork for the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO);second, they will evaluate and decide if it should be sent onto the National Register. The National Register website isthe go-to place for information. It will refer you to our StateHistoric Preservation Office (SHPO) located in the MinnesotaHistory Center. That is where we go for all preservation information.In the 1980s when the program was getting started,SHPO staff worked with county historical societies all overthe state to get properties listed. It was at that time thatWaseca County got 12 properties placed on the HistoricRegister. Those were the days! Since then the research anddocumentation required to nominatea property has greatly increased. It isour experience that the process involvesan evaluation by a historicprofessional, usually an architect anda historian. Then you may want toconsider hiring someone to write thenomination.WCHS works with the City of Wasecathrough the Heritage PreservationCommission to target certain structuresor areas in the city that mayqualify for historic recognition. Doesthis mean they are eligible for the NationalRegister? No, not necessarily.A good example is the TrowbridgeBandshell. An evaluation was submittedto SHPO for National Register con-FOR SALE4
FOR SALEThe Leuthold house on Elm Avenue E., as it appeared in 1988, was built by prominentarchitect Frederick Kees in 1900.sideration by the Waseca Heritage Preservation Commission(HPC). The recommendation was that it would not qualify onthe structure alone. We could try again and include all ofTrowbridge Park but the HPC had spent considerable timeand grant funding to conduct the evaluation. The missingpiece was state and nationalsignificance. Instead the HPCmade the Trowbridge BandshellCity of WasecaHeritagePreservationCommissionLes Tlougan, ChairRanae SchultKim JohnsonJean ByronJoan MooneyRobin TerrellPatricia Masbergtheir first local designation. TheWaseca HPC is wrapping up ahistoric inventory. When completeyou can view it on the Cityof Waseca website. The nextchallenge for the HPC is developinga set of Design Guidelines,based on National RegisterStandards. The guidelines willbe the framework needed forbuilding owners interested inpreservation.With that said we are featuringtwo magnificent homes in thecity of Waseca that are currentlyfor sale. Neither property is onthe National Register, howeverwe know the rich history of the homes and would like toshare the History with you.We hope the historical significance of these two homes willbe preserved by the next owners. The HPC has no means ofstopping any building owner from making changes on theirbuildings. The only time the HPC does have control is when abuilding owner receives funding from grants administered bythe State Historic Preservation Office. Those repairs or restorationsmust adhere to the Secretary of the Interior NationalStandards For the Treatment of Historic Structures.Charles Leuthold house, c. 1898The Edward Otto Herter House615 East Elm Avenue, Waseca, MNResearched by Linda TaylorEdward Otto Herter started his career in Faribault working forthe Ochs Brothers before coming to Waseca in 1894 at theage of 18. He married Margaret McLin on July 24, 1901, andthey had two children, Margaret Thelma and George Leonard.Ed Herter and Otto Ochs, as partners, operated a departmentstore on south State Street for five years. In 1913 Herter relocatedto the C. Johnson Hardware building. A huge fire in1942 destroyed the building and killed one employee.The Herter house was sold to Waseca attorney, JohnMcLoone, who added a large family room addition on thenorth east part of the Queen Anne-style Victorian house.The Charles Leuthold House824 East Elm Avenue, Waseca, MNResearched by Pat PearsonCharles Leuthold was a prominent businessman in Waseca.He and his brothers operated haberdasheries in Minnesota,South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin, including the LeutholdBrothers Clothing store in Waseca. Leuthold hired prominentarchitect, Frederick Kees, to design his new home on EastElm. The plans were approved in 1898 and the building completedaround 1900.About the Architect: Frederick Kees was born in 1852 anddied in Minneapolis in 1927. During his lifetime he becamea very successful and nationally known architect. He partneredwith architect Franklin Long from 1884 to 1897. Theirfirm became one of the most successful architectural firms inMinneapolis. Together they designed and built many of the5CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
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Page 8: The Museum Shop is open andstocked

September 2012 - Waseca County Historical Society

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