Lost Mansions of Daytons Bluff

Hello friends! I hope you all are doing well.  As summer rolls into fall I've been working madly away at the house trying to finish up some painting, caulking and such.  Not too much exciting to report on the house here so I thought I would share a few lost mansions from my neighborhood, Dayton's Bluff.  For those of you that don't know much about the area let me give you a brief overview.

Dayton's Bluff is situated on the east side of St. Paul overlooking the downtown skyline.  Frankly I think we have one of the most beautiful vistas in the metro because we not only have a beautiful view of St. Paul's skyline with modern buildings and our 2 famous domes (the capital and the cathedral), but we also have a view of our friendly rival, Minneapolis sitting just 10 miles away.  It's really quite amazing to see two cities and the bends of the Mississippi river here.  The area was named for an early (although not the first) land owner, Lyman Dayton.  The bluff before Europeans came was a sacred area for Native Americans that had a series of large mounds used for burial, some being over 1000 years old.   As St. Paul began growing in the 1840s and 1850s and the city slowly began to spread, well to do families build large stone mansions on the edge of the bluff taking advantage of the view and space.  The area however was still difficult to access until later on when bridges and the railroad came in.  By the 1880s it was a booming area filled with a wonderful mix of wealthy and working class people.  Mansions were built next to simple worker cottages.  There was no economic divide that one finds in many areas.  This was always a cultural melting pot of classes, nationalities and incomes.  An early newspaper article states:  "Dayton's Bluff is the most picturesque and beautiful district of the city.  Sloping back from the river bluff for nearly a mile, it commands from every point a winder and diner prospect of the city and the Mississippi valley than any other portion of the city east of the Mississippi..."  St. Paul Pioneer Press Jan 1 1887

So let's get to a few lost mansions eh?  The first one to discuss is the James E Thompson Mansion also known as the Patrick H Kelly Mansion located at 230 Mounds Blvd.  Today the site is empty and half of it was destroyed when the freeway was built. Constructed in the 1860s of field stone in a Gothic revival manner it was an impressive house no doubt.  Perched on the bluff with spectacular views it was one of the fine early mansions that were able to look down and the city and survey her growth.  Thompson was sadly only able to enjoy the house for a short time and by 1870 he had passed away. The house was then purchased by Patrick H Kelly who was a prominent grocer.  It appears the Kelly family enjoyed the house for a good deal of time.  According to local historian Steve Trimble "In November 1901, the group
moved into the old P. H. Kelly home at 230 Mounds Boulevard. “The building has been fully renovated,”
the paper stated, “and the reception rooms, living rooms and bedrooms present a very cozy appearance.” They have a fair sized library because they have an annual “book party” and people bring volumes to
add to the home’s collection."  The home's size and grandeur however became its downfall and was eventually torn down.  The only reminder that it was there is the empty lot and historic photos of the once great castle.

The Hamm Mansion which I has many great historic photos was lost in 1954.  Here is the link to the post I wrote about before: Hamm Mansion Site   Today the site is a lovely park.

The Eichenwald Mansion which I have discussed here before. It was the mansion that the family who built my house lived in.  It was torn down in the 1930s after a series of fires. More information on this can be found here: Eichenwald Mansion

 Here is what the mansion was replaced with in the 1950s:

This lovely mansion located in the neighborhood was known as the Hoyt-Nugent House or James Middleton Residence.  According to local historian Jim Sazevich it was built in 1857 and torn down around 1923.

Here is a sad newspaper article that Jim Sazevich found concerning the family on the property:

This sad, and tragic event occured in October 1885, at the old stone house that we have been discussing on another post on the Facebook site. The Yandes family had owned and occupied the former Benjamin F. Hoyt house, at 144 Bates Avenue (originally called "Main St.") on Dayton's Bluff, since the mid-1860s. Several family members, including Mrs. Yandes, had already died, and were buried on the homestead property, just a short distance from the house. When James W. Yandes (1817-1885) the father of the family died, the loss was too much for his son Cyrus.  Apparently, Cyrus had talked about the potential difficulty in handling the affairs of his father's large estate, and felt burdened by the weight of such responsibility. The estimated $500,000 estate would be equal to tens of millions of dollars today! After this sad affair, the surviving Yandes daughters moved from their home on Bates Avenue, to live with relatives in Lowertown. The entire Yandes family, who spent many years on Dayton's Bluff, rest in the Crown Hill Cemetery, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The James Middleton (a wealthy real estate dealer) family were the next owners and occupants of the house, and their lives on Bates Avenue were far less tragic. - Jim Sazevich, The House Detective, August 7, 2012.

James Wilson Yandes, who died in 1885 at age 68, and was buried in the yard of his home, at 144 Bates Avenue, near McLean St., on Dayton's Bluff. His wife Fanny had died the previous year, and their son Cyrus Yandes would take his own life, just five days after the death of his father. All of the Yandes family remains were eventually moved to a cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, where they repose today

Fanny B. Yandes, who died at her Dayton's Bluff home in March 1884, at the age of 57. She was the wife of James Wilson Yandes, who died the following year. She was buried in the yard of her homestead, near the graves of several of her children, who had died earlier. All of the family remains were eventually removed to a cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.  

James J. Hill also lived in the house with his family, while his house in Lowertown was being built. The house was built in 1857, at 144 Bates, by Rev. Benjamin Hoyt, and then lived in by the James Yandes family for many years.

James J Hill Mansion in Lowertown. To see more about Hill see here: James J Hill Mansions

Information concerning the house and the Yandes family from Jim Sazevich, House Historian.  Thanks Jim for letting me share this great information you uncovered! 

Another great mansion was the Ross Clarke Mansion which was located on the same block as the James Middleton Residence.  Records indicate that the Clarke Mansion burned down in 1894

The John F Eisenmenger Mansion was another place that was lost fairly early. In fact the only known photographs of the place are the burned out ruins from ca. 1892

The John Wharry residence was a charming house, perhaps not quite a mansion that has disappeared under the cloak of time.

This was known as the triple house located on my street. Stood until at least 1960 and was lost sometime after that.

The Gustav Willius Mansion was also located on my street, perched on the edge of the bluff with an amazing skyline view.  It became a hospital around the turn of the century.  The house was torn down probably in the 1920s or 30s as the hospital grew.

Showing the mansion still standing..

This photo shows the hospital expanding.  All the houses in the background are long gone.

The R. Barden Mansion was also located on my street.  A very early mansion on the bluff.  It was torn down around the turn of the century. The site was then filled with smaller single family homes which were also later torn down.  The land is now a parking lot.

This last place wasn't a mansion, it was the local school that stood until the 1970s.  If only the Van Buren school had made it a few more decades it could have been a treasure of the neighborhood! A modern school occupies the site now.

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