Posted by Megan
at
5:36 PM
from http://mepoppler.blogspot.com/2008/12/foley-brower-bohmer-larson-house-385.html
The Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson-Molenaar House
385 - Third Avenue South -- St. Cloud, MN 56301
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With a single rose & card to Ruirui
on Valentines Day: -- Can you guess what your REAL present will be? Roses are red -- What else can I say? So is this house -- Happy Valentine's Day! Wo ai ni, Rui --
Forever from me! |
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| Reality is, that this fine old building had a gutted interior. Stud walls have now been added, with roughed-in plumbing, wiring, and the roof is nearly new. It will be a continuing job for
our lifetime and maybe a few projects for our
son Mikka too. For someone who grew up in a one-room, 170 sq. ft. efficiency apartment
in Tianjin, China, this will be a big surprise for Ruirui and her
family.
The Foley House is about 8,300 sq. feet inside. Right now it is just as Spartan as a Beijing apartment. All we need is doors, windows, and two furnaces. There are about 100 windows in the structure, and more than half of them must be replaced with guidelines to match the architecture of the period. Andersen Windows, with Warren Erickson of Willmar, won the bid for replacing most of the glass. Three test windows were installed in September '09 to assure compliance with HPC guidelines and county building codes. The balance of the windows have been ordered and are scheduled for installation starting in October. Update December 2009:
Window construction was halted due to a mis-measurement on one window,
and a color error in the trim on another. Windows on the
three upper floors are almost done. Basement egress windows
will have to wait until spring.
We will be pleased to finish the main floor and a sleeping space in my lifetime.
Since we won't be living there any time soon, we
scouted the area for "temporary" residence while we put sweat-equity into the clean-up, daytime dungeon-dwellers
in the castle. Next generation gets to move up one floor, as our finances permit.
I may be shoveling snow, and my son may be selling lemonade at the gate.
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Historical Notes:
05 May 1978 -- On the National Historic Registry... 11 May 2009 -- "One of Minnesota's 10 Most Endangered Historical Places..." 23 May 2009 -- The missing NHR bronze plaque was returned. 15 Sept 2009 -- Three new kitchen windows; 47 more to go.
Foley-Brower-Bohmer House (added 1978 - Building - #78001563)
The
Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson (Molenaar) House
385 - 3rd Ave South -- St. Cloud, MN
The Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House was once considered the finest in the city of St. Cloud, Minnesota. There is no doubt that the spectacular house stood out among others back when it was built and continued to for decades later. The house was built in 1889 and was designed by architect A.E. Hussey. The construction was estimated to have cost $35,000 -- a substantial amount for that period of time. The Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House has had a handful of prominent residents since it was built, and it continues to stand on 3rd Avevenue in St. Cloud next to the St. Cloud State University campus. Its physical features and prominent owners help tell the deep history of the households, which is one of the reasons it became a house on the National Register for Historic Places in 1978. A house so full of history is bound to have many stories to tell, some tragic, and the Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House is no exception. The house was built by Timothy Foley, the eldest son in a large family from Ontario, Canada. After the Civil War, he made his way to Minnesota with his two brothers, and as a motivated businessman founded the town of Foley, Minnesota. He was the prime component of the lumber business established by the Foley brothers. He later went on to run a railway company, and he is said to have been in charge of building enough railways to stretch around the world. It was in 1889 that he and his wife Mary built their large home in St. Cloud. They only lived in it until 1895 when Foley moved to St. Paul, and his brother Thomas resided in the home. Thomas Foley sold the house to Secretary of State P.E. Hanson in 1902. Who then gave the house to his daughter and son-in-law, Ripley Brower. Brower, whose father founded Browerville, Minnesota, was a practicing lawyer in St. Cloud and would also become a Republican State Senator. Brower owned the home until 1923. It was then that Brower sold his house to another prominent businessman, William Bohmer. Bohmer owned many businesses throughout his career, a store and then eventually a bank. His largest achievement was the establishment of his business, the Melrose Granite Company. William’s son Donald took over the ownership of the house in 1945. Donald and his large family lived in the home until all of his children grew up and moved out in 1979. The house was then sold to Dr. Keith Larson, a neurosurgeon. Once again this beautiful house was filled with children and family. Larson and his wife spent countless hours and large amounts of money trying to restore the house. They did this with every effort to maintain the house’s historical integrity. The Larsons were the first owners to open the house for viewing of the public in a house tour in 1992. The viewers were able to witness the Larson’s love for the house, which was quite evident by how much commitment they had put into their home. The Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House was an intriguing sight to see. It was built with influences from the architectural style of Richardsonian Romanesque. The red pressed bricks, circular tower, and arched doorways and windows were all exterior features of the house which portray this unique style. One of the house’s most popular and memorable features was the entryway. It contained a breathtaking golden oak staircase and fireplace with Italian woodcarvings of gargoyles. It also included an Italian marble mosaic floor and remarkable stained glass windows. The rest of the first floor was comprised of a parlor, library, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. When following the marvelous staircase to the second floor, five bedrooms, including a large master bedroom with a separate sitting area, and bathroom could be found. The third floor, the location of the attic, produced a large space often used for hosting dances. The large, expansive house was most intriguing because of its preserved historical integrity, which remained intact until June 17th, 2002 when the devastating fire occurred. It was a typical Monday night for the Larson family. All were asleep, except for the hardworking Dr. Larson, who was awake working on the paperwork from the day. It was around 1:15am that he heard noises that seemed to be coming from the basement. Not soon after, Dr. Larson saw the smoke. It led him to the realization that a fire had begun in the basement. He tried to extinguish it, but soon realized that his efforts were not going to conquer this fire. It was an old house, easily susceptible to the sparks of the blaze. The Larson family escaped the burning house unharmed, and the fire department was called. They arrived shortly after by 1:30am. Not soon after the firefighters arrived it was apparent that they were going to need reinforcements. When they had arrived there were only fourteen on staff—a smaller amount than what is typical. In all, there were a total of thirty firefighters who were called, and they worked tirelessly to calm the raging fire that was taking over the historic Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House. They worked long into the morning to contain the blaze, and neighbors were soon gathering to look on at the horrible tragedy that was unfolding. The family, neighbors, and community members watched and hoped that the devastation the lashing of the fire was causing would be as minimal as possible. Days after the fire had been contained and extinguished the Larson family continued to keep their hopes up, but the results were far from their expectations. Workers were still pumping water out of the basement, which had been submerged with the water used to douse the fire. It seemed that the fire had been contained to the point that half of the first and second floors of the house were saved. However, the third floor was a total loss due to the roof collapsing during the blaze. Another result of the tragic fire was the injuries obtained by the firefighters. In all, there were nine rescuers that received minor injuries, such as cuts and smoke inhalation. When all was over, the expected property damage was estimated to be over two million dollars. However, what was really lost was the history that went with the house and that is something that is priceless. When a fire tears through a home and uproots a family, the loss can be devastating. However, when the fire that struck the Foley-Brower-Bohmer-Larson House on that dreadful early morning, there was much more lost. It was a house well-known in the St. Cloud community and held a long history of prominent previous owners and their families. The house still stands today, and it has a new owner. The attempt to restore the house’s historical beauty has been taken on by its new owner, but it will be a long process that will most likely never be fully achieved. Addendum by Greg Molenaar --
Chris Jaeger of St. Cloud's 9th Avenue Central Lock Company was
responsible for some of the upgrades since the 2002 fire. Thanks for
holding on, Chris. The Foley House might otherwise have been
demolished. Our plans for 2009 are to first replace the windows. Next year we hope to make the main floor presentable. First priority is to seal out damaging weather. We were going to start from the basement up, but our builder has a top-down approach. It may take a generation to complete each floor, but who's in a hurry? Electricity has been restored, and it's being wired for CAT5 internet. We may be spending weekends "in the dungeon of the castle" for some time. It is a good dungeon. We are seriously looking for another home to ease commuting costs to the "money pit". "Mikka, bring me your book. Bring me two books!" We can read about castles and dragons and good castle living. Where's that Harry Potter book?
Weekends have us on the grounds and exterior, checking electrical, plumbing, yard work, and in the garage
doing repairs. There may be an opportunity to smell the roses, not yet planted...
next year. Those who contribute toward the Foley-House restoration, will
receive an appreciation gift of a pair of "Helping-Hand Pot Holders"...
(Available on site most weekends... bring your own hot dogs and I will start up the grille).
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An alternative gift -- Greg Molenaar, co-author of "Unusual Mars Surface Features"-- will send contributors this Soft-cover book - 137 Pages, 1982, based on 1976 images of Mars geology from the Viking Satellites... The Face on Mars. With PayPal -- A donation of $100 or more brings you this autographed book, Including ground shipping in the continental US. |
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1889 Foley House, with covered front porch, which was removed in 1945
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Ruirui, Mikka, & Greg Molenaar |
