Comments on: Tuesday, June 21, 1966: Dentist buys house for $266

By: A. T.

A. T. — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:30:01 +0000

Unfortunately we live in a very disposable society where nothing is preserved for historical purposes.

By: Al Davis

Al Davis — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:15:47 +0000

Typical of Minnesota values nobody wants to preserve anything unless there is money in it for THEM! This includes the environment and our lakes.

By: Chad

Chad — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:06:48 +0000

To have razed a home with such beautiful architecture and craftsmanship is an absolute abomination. No doubt a great number of historic and irreplaceable buildings were recklessly demolished in the name of “progress.” When will our society learn to value and preserve the many great things we already have?

By: govcoverup

govcoverup — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:44:11 +0000

Its to bad government is always in a hurry to build things and not preserve our history. Couldn’t they have waited a little longer so Mr. Yarr could have found a new place to put the house? Why would the neighbors not want such a beautiful house on their street? What a shame:(

By: paul smith

paul smith — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:39:41 +0000

what beautiful, picturescue photo s

By: Valentina Yarr

Valentina Yarr — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:52:31 +0000

Yes, the most recent photo above is the General Van Cleve home which was nicely renovated into two separate units. One objection to moving the 900 SE 4th Street Tudor house to this site was because it was believed that the General’s horse, “Charger” is buried there and the ground shouldn’t be disturbed.

By: Ben Welter

Ben Welter — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:57:18 +0000

Neighborhood historian Penny A. Petersen, author of “Hiding in Plain Sight, Minneapolis’ First Neighborhood,” provides more background:

“The Van Cleve House has stood at 603 Fifth Street SE since it was built in 1858 by William Kimball. Minneapolis did not ‘renumber the streets’ simply because the freeway tore through the neighborhood. …

“Yarr might have been planning to wedge the Tudor in between the Van Cleve house and the one at 617 Fifth St. SE. Originally, the William McNair House was located there (it is now on 610 Sixth Street SE). You might consider researching and following this story in subsequent issues of the 1966 Star Tribune to find more information on this story.”

By: jay

jay — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:53:19 +0000

Baaad memories…

I grew up southeast at 6th and 10th. Many truly extraordinary houses were razed mercilessly then, and southeast never really recovered.

Things don’t really change much. Minneapolis will always be anti-preservation (or rather for it, until money begins talking–think of Nicollet Island and DeLaSalle), but to its detriment. First-class cities keep their history alive, and I don’t think Minneapolis will ever become “first-class”.

By: Ben Welter

Ben Welter — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 18:27:08 +0000

I visited 603 SE. Fifth St. last night and shot the color photo above, which shows a well-maintained old 2.5-story house. Though no marker is visible on the property, by all accounts this must be the Van Cleve residence. Perhaps Yarr intended to put the Tudor in space to the east of the building. It would have been a tight fit. I’ll need to do more research on this.

By: Ben Welter

Ben Welter — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:09:18 +0000

Thanks for posting, Valentina. That solves half the mystery. Can you talk about the lot at 603 SE. 5th St.? From the evidence so far, I’m guessing that the Van Cleve house might have been moved there.