Alex Seitaniemi Housebarn
Encyclopedia
The Alex Seitaniemi Housebarn is a housebarn
in Waasa Township, St. Louis County
, near Tower, Minnesota
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Combining the house and barn in one building provided advantages. The heat from livestock
kept the house warm, and constructing one building instead of several separate buildings conserved timber
and the need to move it. The compact design also leaves more room available for farming and grazing.
The builder, Alex Seitaniemi, was an emigrant from Sodankylä
, a small village in northern Finland
. He worked in Ely, Minnesota
and later bought a parcel of land of 80 acres (32.4 ha). He built the housebarn in two stages from 1907 through 1913, with a two-story living quarters and the horse barn. Seitaniemi and his wife had a daughter and two sons, Bill and Knute. The farm produced hay, oats, and potatoes, and they also kept dairy cows until some time after World War II
, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated the use of concrete floors in dairy barns for sanitary reasons. Bill and Knute never married. Knute lived in the house until he died in his 50s or 60s, while Bill lived in the house until the late 1990s.
The property was bought by Carol and Larry Schaefer of Ely, who were interested in the land for hunting. As they got to know the history of the housebarn, they became interested in seeing its restoration. They donated the housebarn to Sisu Heritage, a local organization that provides tours of buildings and homesteads in the area. Sisu Heritage received a $60,500 grant from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants
program to stabilize the structure. One of the unusual aspects of the project involved stabilizing the foundation. Unlike many typical foundations, which go 6 feet (1.8 m) below ground level to avoid frost damage, the Seitaniemi building had footings of dry-stacked stone. This method allows the building to ride out frost heaves while still being locked together.
Housebarn
A housebarn is a building that is a combination of a house and a barn.-Styles:There are several styles of housebarns. One style is a building where the barn portion shares a wall with the house portion. Sometimes the house portion will extend into part of the loft on the second story of the barn...
in Waasa Township, St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Minnesota
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 200,226. Its county seat is Duluth. It is the largest county by total area in Minnesota, and the second largest in the United States east of the Mississippi River; in land area alone, after Aroostook...
, near Tower, Minnesota
Tower, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there are 479 people in the city, organized into 233 households and 137 families. The population density is 176.8 people per square mile . There are 295 housing units at an average density of 108.9 per square mile...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Combining the house and barn in one building provided advantages. The heat from livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
kept the house warm, and constructing one building instead of several separate buildings conserved timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
and the need to move it. The compact design also leaves more room available for farming and grazing.
The builder, Alex Seitaniemi, was an emigrant from Sodankylä
Sodankylä
-Twin towns: Kola, Russia, since 1968 Berlevåg, Norway, since 1971 Norsjö, Sweden, since 1977 Heiligenblut, Austria, since 1979-External links:* – Official website* * * * * *...
, a small village in northern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. He worked in Ely, Minnesota
Ely, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,724 people, 1,912 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,369.5 people per square mile . There were 1,912 housing units at an average density of 703.2 per square mile...
and later bought a parcel of land of 80 acres (32.4 ha). He built the housebarn in two stages from 1907 through 1913, with a two-story living quarters and the horse barn. Seitaniemi and his wife had a daughter and two sons, Bill and Knute. The farm produced hay, oats, and potatoes, and they also kept dairy cows until some time after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandated the use of concrete floors in dairy barns for sanitary reasons. Bill and Knute never married. Knute lived in the house until he died in his 50s or 60s, while Bill lived in the house until the late 1990s.
The property was bought by Carol and Larry Schaefer of Ely, who were interested in the land for hunting. As they got to know the history of the housebarn, they became interested in seeing its restoration. They donated the housebarn to Sisu Heritage, a local organization that provides tours of buildings and homesteads in the area. Sisu Heritage received a $60,500 grant from the Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants
Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grants
The Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant is a grant program created with funds appropriated from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, and administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. This program provides grants to projects in the state of Minnesota focused on preserving Minnesota’s history...
program to stabilize the structure. One of the unusual aspects of the project involved stabilizing the foundation. Unlike many typical foundations, which go 6 feet (1.8 m) below ground level to avoid frost damage, the Seitaniemi building had footings of dry-stacked stone. This method allows the building to ride out frost heaves while still being locked together.