401 Farwell Street North, Verndale, Minnesota
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Stewart/Britts House | |
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| Address: | 401 Farwell Street N |
| City/locality- State/province |
Verndale, Minnesota |
| County- State/province: |
Wadena County, Minnesota |
| State/province: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Year built: | 1886 |
| Year razed: | 2015 |
| Primary Style: | Queen Anne |
| Major Alterations: | Some/mostly intact |
| Historic Function: | House/single dwelling or duplex |
| Current Function: | House/single dwelling or duplex |
| Architect or source of design: | Thomas Corwin Myers |
| Builder: | Thomas Corwin Myers |
| Material of Exterior Wall Covering: | Wood |
| Material of Roof: | Asphalt Shingles |
| Material of Foundation: | Brick |
| First Owner: | Moses Stewart, Jr. |
The Stewart/Britts House in Verndale, Minnesota, was built in 1886 for Moses Stewart, Jr., and his family. Every detail of the home's design was supervised by Mr. Stewart's wife, Minnie. Mr. Stewart came to Verndale in 1882 from
Nashua, Iowa, and was very successful in business. He established the Bank of Verndale, built and operated a large livery and stage line, grain elevator, hardware store, drug store, a hotel at Nimrod, Minnesota, and had many other successful ventures. By 1886, Dunn and Bradstreet listed his net worth in excess of $250,000.
Thomas Corwin Myers was the architect and builder of the Pink House. Other prominent buildings he built in Verndale included the E.M. Britts' flour mill on the Wing River, the first brick school house, the courthouse building, many homes, and business houses. He went on to build many more buildings in the Park Rapids area, too. His most prominent achievement is Douglas Lodge, built in 1905, at Itasca State Park.
History
Newspaper article from the Verndale Journal, December 3, 1886, detailing the construction of the house:
"A Fine Residence. M. Stewart, Jr., has his new residence nearly completed, and on Tuesday a JOURNAL reporter visited the premises in company with Mr. S. This is probably the finest residence in the county, and has been erected at a cost of $4,000. The plans were drawn by T. C. Myers, of Verndale, and the work has all been done under his supervision. The workmanship is fine, and excellent materials have been used. Great care has been employed in all the details of the building, and the house is very warm. The lower floors are all double, and papered between, and the house is sheathed, plastered and back-plastered. The main portion of the house is 28x32, two and a half stories, with an addition 18x28, one story. There are below, four principle rooms, three of which are connected by folding doors. The parlor, sitting room and dining room are painted, and the hall and staircase are finished in walnut, ash and cherry. The upper rooms are finished in pine, oiled. The staircase, newel posts and balustrade were made by Smith & Wyman of Minneapolis, and also the doors and sash. About a ton of nails were used in the construction of the house.”
