Longfellow House
Encyclopedia
The Longfellow House in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, United States
, is a 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
's home
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. The house was neither seen or lived in by Longfellow (who died in 1882), but was the home of an admiring Minneapolis businessman named Robert "Fish" Jones.
, and opened it in 1907. At the same time, he built a house for himself, styled after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home. A yellow frame house with porches at each end, he lived there for the next 23 years until he closed the zoo, due to complaints from nearby residents. He agreed to give the house to the City of Minneapolis, but died in 1930 before the transaction was completed.
. The library purchased it for $
1,500, $500 of which was raised by neighbourhood residents. The Works Progress Administration
converted the house into the Longfellow Community Library, which opened in 1937.
The library performed well, serving the south easternmost portion of Minneapolis until the 1950s, when the growing prevalence of television cut circulation numbers at the library in half. The demographic that fell the most during that time was not children, but adults. The library overcame this circulation drop, so much so that in 1967 the Library Board authorized the construction of a new library in the nearby Wenonah neighborhood. In 1968, Longfellow closed and Nokomis Community Library
opened, instantly doubling Longfellow's circulation numbers.
, the house was moved across the highway by Ernst Movers of Osseo, Minnesota
and thus reconnected with Minnehaha Park which the house had been separated from. It was then renovated by the Kodet Architectural Group. The moving process won the Department of Transportation an honorable mention by the Federal Highway Administration
in the historic preservation category. In 2001, the house opened as an interpretive information center, run by the Park Board.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
's home
Longfellow National Historic Site
The Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House and, until December 2010, Longfellow National Historic Site, is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For almost fifty years, it was the...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. The house was neither seen or lived in by Longfellow (who died in 1882), but was the home of an admiring Minneapolis businessman named Robert "Fish" Jones.
Early history
In 1885, Robert "Fish" Jones sold his downtown Minneapolis fish market, and built a zoo on the site where the Basilica of St. Mary stands today. He eventually moved his zoo a few miles south into an area next to the Minnehaha Creek. He rebuilt his zoo, the Longfellow Zoological GardensLongfellow Zoological Gardens
The Longfellow Zoological Gardens was a zoo and garden in Minneapolis's Minnehaha neighborhood in Minnesota, United States.-History:...
, and opened it in 1907. At the same time, he built a house for himself, styled after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home. A yellow frame house with porches at each end, he lived there for the next 23 years until he closed the zoo, due to complaints from nearby residents. He agreed to give the house to the City of Minneapolis, but died in 1930 before the transaction was completed.
Longfellow Community Library
For four years after Jones' death, the house remained vacant, following which the Park Board was deeded the house, offering it to the Minneapolis Public LibraryMinneapolis Public Library
The Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center was a library system serving the residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States. It was founded as the publicly traded Minneapolis Athenæum in 1860 and became a free public library in 1885 founded by T. B. Walker...
. The library purchased it for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1,500, $500 of which was raised by neighbourhood residents. The Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
converted the house into the Longfellow Community Library, which opened in 1937.
The library performed well, serving the south easternmost portion of Minneapolis until the 1950s, when the growing prevalence of television cut circulation numbers at the library in half. The demographic that fell the most during that time was not children, but adults. The library overcame this circulation drop, so much so that in 1967 the Library Board authorized the construction of a new library in the nearby Wenonah neighborhood. In 1968, Longfellow closed and Nokomis Community Library
Nokomis Community Library
Nokomis Community Library is one of 41 branch libraries in the Hennepin County Library System. Formerly, it was part of the Minneapolis Public Library System as it is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.-History:...
opened, instantly doubling Longfellow's circulation numbers.
The House today
The House fell into disrepair. During the early 1980s, it was used by the Saint Paul Jaycees as "Ghost Manor", a haunted house attraction every year at Halloween. In 1994, the expansion of Hiawatha Avenue was underway, the House was moved to its current location. In a partnership with the Minnesota Department of TransportationMinnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
, the house was moved across the highway by Ernst Movers of Osseo, Minnesota
Osseo, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,434 people, 1,035 households, and 606 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,179.7 people per square mile . There were 1,060 housing units at an average density of 1,384.7 per square mile...
and thus reconnected with Minnehaha Park which the house had been separated from. It was then renovated by the Kodet Architectural Group. The moving process won the Department of Transportation an honorable mention by the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
in the historic preservation category. In 2001, the house opened as an interpretive information center, run by the Park Board.