Fairlawn Mansion
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the wonderful Fairlawn Mansion located in Superior Wi. An exquisite mansion just a 5 minute drive from Duluth MN and just a little over 2 hours drive north of Minneapolis /St. Paul. This house has been endlessly written about and its history fairly well documented. I don't want to rewrite what others have spent countless hours researching so in an effort to save myself some time I am going to share with you the information that has been compiled by others.
Image from Superior Public Library c 1895 showing the beautiful conservatory. Demolished 1930s
From Zenithcity.com and written by Judith Liebaert Original link here: Superiors American Castle
Judith is an amazing local writer and I hope she won't mind me sharing all her amazing research and writing here:
Superior’s Fairlawn Mansion was built in 1890 as the home of industrialist Martin Pattison and his family. Overlooking the bayfront, it stands as an example of the opulent lifestyle led by the nouveau riché during America’s Gilded Age. The mansion also serves as an enduring reminder of the generous philanthropy of Pattison and his wife, Grace.
During the 1890s, Superior’s population rapidly increased from fewer than 12,000 in 1890 to more than 31,000 by 1900. A transportation hub positioned at the western-most port on the Great Lakes, Superior was riding high on a wave of national expansion. Speculators dubbed it “Little Chicago.” Adventurous men made their fortunes in lumbering and mineral mining, and in shipping goods, agricultural crops, and minerals by land and sea. Pattison was one such man, making his fortune as a lumberman and mining speculator. He became a greatly admired and well-respected civic leader in Superior, despite hiding a scandal from his past that would have ruined other men.
c 1895 Image from Superior Public Library
c 1895 Image from Superior Public Library
In 1889 Pattison announced plans to construct a grand home befitting a man of his position; he wanted to establish evidence of his wealth and make his home a model for self-made men such as himself. He purchased a full city block along what is now East Second Street, with an unobstructed view of Superior Bay and the open water of Lake Superior beyond Minnesota Point.
There he would build a mansion that includes elements of both the Queen Anne Victorian style and the French Château-esque style of architecture. While the house’s architect has not been identified (no blueprints have been found, and city documents do not include an architect’s name), it is widely speculated that the house was designed by John DeWaard, a popular architect working in both Superior and Duluth in the 1890s. DeWaard is known to have designed some of the decorative woodwork found in Fairlawn’s interior rooms and may well have drawn up plans for the entire house.
Construction was complete by fall 1891. According to Tom Davis, author of Fairlawn: Restoring the Splendor, Fairlawn’s exterior is typical to the Queen Anne style, built with contrasting shapes, textures, and colors. The house stands three stories above a block foundation of Lake Superior brownstone, capped with a roof that includes gables on all four sides. Grooved wooden columns topped with Corinthian capitals support the porch roof, which spans the entire front of the house and wraps around to the carriage entrance, or porte-cochère, at the north side of the house. “Fish scale” cedar shakes cover the majority of the second and third floors, giving the mansion the “gingerbread” look characteristic of Victorian-era architecture. Graceful curved brackets support second-floor overhangs and a copper frieze with a rich green patina runs along the roof cornice. Tucked in the upper most peak of the front gable, a copper relief plate bears the year 1890, though the main house was not completed until the following year and the conservatory wouldn’t be added until 1895. A four-story round tower—capped with a high-peaked roof over an octagonal turret—stands at the house’s southeast corner, offering a bird’s-eye view of the lake and the Duluth hillside. The original exterior color choice was a conservative pallet, especially in light of the trend for the more vivid, contrasting-color schemes popular for Victorian “painted ladies.” Pattison chose complimentary hues in subdued browns ranging from a warm reddish shade to light gingery tints. The brighter salmon pink ceiling of the porch was the only exception—and perhaps a nod to the trends of the time.
Inside, the 42-room structure was the grandest home Superior had ever seen. The main entrance opened to a long hallway with rooms to either side. At the time, hallways were often considered wasted space, but Fairlawn’s first-floor hallway is both remarkably long and wide. It is punctuated by the main landing of the elegant oak staircase that leads to the second floor—a landing that is a room unto itself, complete with fireplace. The remainder of the main floor includes a reception room, parlor, music room, formal dining room, butler’s pantry, kitchen, and Pattison’s library and office.
Davis considers Fairlawn “an architectural marvel, a showcase for the decorative arts—and a triumph of engineering. Virtually every modern convenience available at the time was incorporated into its construction. It was wired for electricity and piped for natural gas. Indeed, many of the interior lights were combination fixtures that could be operated via either source of energy.”
Historic image of Martin's office and the photos above it are of the recently restored ceiling which is an original ceiling mural.
Other amenities included at the time it was built include indoor plumbing with hot-and-cold running water, nine gas fireplaces, steam heat, an electric dumbwaiter, a central vacuum system, and an air shaft in the center of the home through which a fan circulated air throughout the entire house. Pattison even had skylights installed in the attic roof. If that wasn’t enough, the basement contained a bowling alley and plunge pool, and the third floor both a billiard room and ballroom.
The wide friezes and ceilings of the first-floor rooms are adorned with hand-painted murals. Woodwork throughout the mansion is made of quarter-sawn oak, Guatemalan mahogany, hand-carved bird’s-eye maple, and white lacquered birch trimmed in gold leaf.
When fully complete, the estate also included a carriage house and a conservatory. The conservatory was designed by architect John Chisholm and connected to the main house via a 14×16-foot potting house. The oval-shaped glass and steel dome measured 25×50-feet and rose 15-feet from its sandstone foundation—the same stone used in the mansion’s foundation. The stone came from the Acadia Quarry near Amnicon Falls, not far from Superior. Acadia was owned by James Bardon, a Superior pioneer for whom Duluth’s Bardon’s Peak is named.
The cost to build the estate was recorded at more than $150,000—nearly $4 million in today’s dollars. However, a family history written in the late 1920s notes that the total cost of the mansion—including all furnishings and mechanical equipment—came to over $250,000, closer to $6.5 million today. While the story behind the name is unknown, by 1895 the house had become known as Fairlawn.
The Pattisons at HomeMartin and Grace Pattison had four children when they moved into their palatial home in the fall of 1891: Martha, Byron, Ethel and Alice. Twins Myrna and Vyrna were born in 1892, followed by Lois and Leda, another set of twin girls born in 1893. Vyrna and Leda both died in infancy.
The Pattisons employed a large staff at Fairlawn, including housekeepers, kitchen help, and liverymen. They reportedly treated their staff well, with the same kindness and generosity for which they were known throughout the community. Staff quarters were provided on the mansion’s third floor and above the carriage house.
Beveled glass of front doors
The Pattisons were well know for hosting social events in their home. To provide fresh floral arrangements throughout the house, Martin Pattison stocked the conservatory with thousands of dollars worth of rare exotic plants imported from tropical locations. Never were these specimens arranged in more profusion than for nuptials—the Pattisons hosted no less than five weddings or wedding receptions at Fairlawn over the years. A Superior Evening Telegram article of June 14, 1896 reported on the double wedding of Pattison’s nieces, Mary Ann Gowling and Eva Irene Thayer:
Image from Superior Public Library Grace's Parlor which still has the beautiful folding screen and statue. This room was done in 24 Karat gold leaf.
Dining room
Unpainted radiator in the kitchen. Such detail!
Detail of unusual door handles. Some suspect they were made in this shape so that a servant could open a door with their elbow when hands were full. Actually does work to open the door with just your elbow!
View of Frozen Lake Superior and Barker's Island
Doesn't look like much does it? Now it's a storage room but this is the plunge pool! Complete with tin ceilings one can imagine taking a dip in the basement of your mansion!
Martin Pattison died in 1918 at the age of 77; Grace was 62 years old. She and her youngest daughter, Lois, remained in the mansion until 1920 when they moved to Los Angeles seeking a climate that would ease the symptoms of Lois’s rheumatoid arthritis. A woman of considerable wealth, Grace built a Tudor-style mansion called “Windsor” on 37 acres and lived there until her death in 1934. Lois, her husband, and their son continued to live at Windsor after Grace’s passing.
Before leaving Superior, Grace performed one final act of unequaled generosity: she donated her beloved Fairlawn to the Superior Children’s Home and Refuge Society, a charitable organization of which she was a founder and board member. Davis said it well: “With the stroke of a pen, Grace Pattison transformed Fairlawn from a fairy-tale castle into a place that would tell a grittier, much less glamorous kind of story.”
After the Pattison family left the home became a children's home for many years. This in many ways could be credited for allowing the mansion to continue its life rather than become only a memory. It served as this from 1920 until the early 1960s. A wonderful history of it as the children's home can be found here: Elegant Mansion to Childrens Home
In the 1960s however after the home no longer had a use as a children's home the house would again face an uneasy future. The terms of Grace's will stated that if the property were to be sold, it must all be demolished. Luckily the city found a loophole and was able to save the mansion and turn it into a museum and historical society. A full write up on that process can be found here: Fairlawn Faces The Wrecking Ball
Today the museum shines as a beacon of exquisite architecture and is available and open for tours and events. Check them out if you can. It is well worth the visit!
From Zenithcity.com and written by Judith Liebaert Original link here: Superiors American Castle
Judith is an amazing local writer and I hope she won't mind me sharing all her amazing research and writing here:
Superior’s Fairlawn Mansion was built in 1890 as the home of industrialist Martin Pattison and his family. Overlooking the bayfront, it stands as an example of the opulent lifestyle led by the nouveau riché during America’s Gilded Age. The mansion also serves as an enduring reminder of the generous philanthropy of Pattison and his wife, Grace.
During the 1890s, Superior’s population rapidly increased from fewer than 12,000 in 1890 to more than 31,000 by 1900. A transportation hub positioned at the western-most port on the Great Lakes, Superior was riding high on a wave of national expansion. Speculators dubbed it “Little Chicago.” Adventurous men made their fortunes in lumbering and mineral mining, and in shipping goods, agricultural crops, and minerals by land and sea. Pattison was one such man, making his fortune as a lumberman and mining speculator. He became a greatly admired and well-respected civic leader in Superior, despite hiding a scandal from his past that would have ruined other men.
In 1889 Pattison announced plans to construct a grand home befitting a man of his position; he wanted to establish evidence of his wealth and make his home a model for self-made men such as himself. He purchased a full city block along what is now East Second Street, with an unobstructed view of Superior Bay and the open water of Lake Superior beyond Minnesota Point.
There he would build a mansion that includes elements of both the Queen Anne Victorian style and the French Château-esque style of architecture. While the house’s architect has not been identified (no blueprints have been found, and city documents do not include an architect’s name), it is widely speculated that the house was designed by John DeWaard, a popular architect working in both Superior and Duluth in the 1890s. DeWaard is known to have designed some of the decorative woodwork found in Fairlawn’s interior rooms and may well have drawn up plans for the entire house.
Construction was complete by fall 1891. According to Tom Davis, author of Fairlawn: Restoring the Splendor, Fairlawn’s exterior is typical to the Queen Anne style, built with contrasting shapes, textures, and colors. The house stands three stories above a block foundation of Lake Superior brownstone, capped with a roof that includes gables on all four sides. Grooved wooden columns topped with Corinthian capitals support the porch roof, which spans the entire front of the house and wraps around to the carriage entrance, or porte-cochère, at the north side of the house. “Fish scale” cedar shakes cover the majority of the second and third floors, giving the mansion the “gingerbread” look characteristic of Victorian-era architecture. Graceful curved brackets support second-floor overhangs and a copper frieze with a rich green patina runs along the roof cornice. Tucked in the upper most peak of the front gable, a copper relief plate bears the year 1890, though the main house was not completed until the following year and the conservatory wouldn’t be added until 1895. A four-story round tower—capped with a high-peaked roof over an octagonal turret—stands at the house’s southeast corner, offering a bird’s-eye view of the lake and the Duluth hillside. The original exterior color choice was a conservative pallet, especially in light of the trend for the more vivid, contrasting-color schemes popular for Victorian “painted ladies.” Pattison chose complimentary hues in subdued browns ranging from a warm reddish shade to light gingery tints. The brighter salmon pink ceiling of the porch was the only exception—and perhaps a nod to the trends of the time.
Side showing where the conservatory was attached.
Inside, the 42-room structure was the grandest home Superior had ever seen. The main entrance opened to a long hallway with rooms to either side. At the time, hallways were often considered wasted space, but Fairlawn’s first-floor hallway is both remarkably long and wide. It is punctuated by the main landing of the elegant oak staircase that leads to the second floor—a landing that is a room unto itself, complete with fireplace. The remainder of the main floor includes a reception room, parlor, music room, formal dining room, butler’s pantry, kitchen, and Pattison’s library and office.
Davis considers Fairlawn “an architectural marvel, a showcase for the decorative arts—and a triumph of engineering. Virtually every modern convenience available at the time was incorporated into its construction. It was wired for electricity and piped for natural gas. Indeed, many of the interior lights were combination fixtures that could be operated via either source of energy.”
Other amenities included at the time it was built include indoor plumbing with hot-and-cold running water, nine gas fireplaces, steam heat, an electric dumbwaiter, a central vacuum system, and an air shaft in the center of the home through which a fan circulated air throughout the entire house. Pattison even had skylights installed in the attic roof. If that wasn’t enough, the basement contained a bowling alley and plunge pool, and the third floor both a billiard room and ballroom.
The wide friezes and ceilings of the first-floor rooms are adorned with hand-painted murals. Woodwork throughout the mansion is made of quarter-sawn oak, Guatemalan mahogany, hand-carved bird’s-eye maple, and white lacquered birch trimmed in gold leaf.
Original hall light fixture with recreated ceilings.
When fully complete, the estate also included a carriage house and a conservatory. The conservatory was designed by architect John Chisholm and connected to the main house via a 14×16-foot potting house. The oval-shaped glass and steel dome measured 25×50-feet and rose 15-feet from its sandstone foundation—the same stone used in the mansion’s foundation. The stone came from the Acadia Quarry near Amnicon Falls, not far from Superior. Acadia was owned by James Bardon, a Superior pioneer for whom Duluth’s Bardon’s Peak is named.
Photos above are of the library. The wood is Guatemalan Mahogany and the fireplace is Mexican Onyx.
The cost to build the estate was recorded at more than $150,000—nearly $4 million in today’s dollars. However, a family history written in the late 1920s notes that the total cost of the mansion—including all furnishings and mechanical equipment—came to over $250,000, closer to $6.5 million today. While the story behind the name is unknown, by 1895 the house had become known as Fairlawn.
Exquisite curved radiators
Historic Image of Sitting Room (above) Image from Superior Public Library This room has cherry woodwork and all ceilings on the 1st floor are 14 feet tall
The Pattisons at HomeMartin and Grace Pattison had four children when they moved into their palatial home in the fall of 1891: Martha, Byron, Ethel and Alice. Twins Myrna and Vyrna were born in 1892, followed by Lois and Leda, another set of twin girls born in 1893. Vyrna and Leda both died in infancy.
The Pattisons employed a large staff at Fairlawn, including housekeepers, kitchen help, and liverymen. They reportedly treated their staff well, with the same kindness and generosity for which they were known throughout the community. Staff quarters were provided on the mansion’s third floor and above the carriage house.
Front Hall historic image from Superior Public Library
The Pattisons were well know for hosting social events in their home. To provide fresh floral arrangements throughout the house, Martin Pattison stocked the conservatory with thousands of dollars worth of rare exotic plants imported from tropical locations. Never were these specimens arranged in more profusion than for nuptials—the Pattisons hosted no less than five weddings or wedding receptions at Fairlawn over the years. A Superior Evening Telegram article of June 14, 1896 reported on the double wedding of Pattison’s nieces, Mary Ann Gowling and Eva Irene Thayer:
“Fairlawn never looked so beautiful as when its spacious apartments were decked with flowers and foliage arranged for this evening’s event. Ferns and many rare plants from the conservatory filled the many niches and corners, while an exquisite bunch of Jacqueminot roses stood upon the hall table. The parlor is decorated with pink and white roses and smilax in festoons over the mantle, the music room with white and yellow flowers, while the reception room and library beyond present a most effective picture with American beauties and other beautiful flowers amidst the green foliage of potted plants.”
untouched and gritty detail of the inside of the airshaft. An airshaft runs from the landing on the 1st floor, hidden behind a beautiful stained glass window all the way up to the attic allowing fresh air and light to be circulated in the house.
Automatic door close for fire door in boiler room.
Original hot water heater
The old furnace for the house.
An interesting note is that most of the chandeliers in the home had gone missing over the years. Two grand chandeliers in the 1st floor came from Pattison's contemporary Capt Charles S Barker. The Barker Mansion, who Barker's Island is of course named after is still standing albeit in not as stunning shape as Fairlawn:
Martin Pattison died in 1918 at the age of 77; Grace was 62 years old. She and her youngest daughter, Lois, remained in the mansion until 1920 when they moved to Los Angeles seeking a climate that would ease the symptoms of Lois’s rheumatoid arthritis. A woman of considerable wealth, Grace built a Tudor-style mansion called “Windsor” on 37 acres and lived there until her death in 1934. Lois, her husband, and their son continued to live at Windsor after Grace’s passing.
Before leaving Superior, Grace performed one final act of unequaled generosity: she donated her beloved Fairlawn to the Superior Children’s Home and Refuge Society, a charitable organization of which she was a founder and board member. Davis said it well: “With the stroke of a pen, Grace Pattison transformed Fairlawn from a fairy-tale castle into a place that would tell a grittier, much less glamorous kind of story.”
After the Pattison family left the home became a children's home for many years. This in many ways could be credited for allowing the mansion to continue its life rather than become only a memory. It served as this from 1920 until the early 1960s. A wonderful history of it as the children's home can be found here: Elegant Mansion to Childrens Home
In the 1960s however after the home no longer had a use as a children's home the house would again face an uneasy future. The terms of Grace's will stated that if the property were to be sold, it must all be demolished. Luckily the city found a loophole and was able to save the mansion and turn it into a museum and historical society. A full write up on that process can be found here: Fairlawn Faces The Wrecking Ball
Today the museum shines as a beacon of exquisite architecture and is available and open for tours and events. Check them out if you can. It is well worth the visit!
Oh Matt, Matt, Matt. How I would have loved to have toured this home with you!
ReplyDeletePLEASE come to Kansas, and I will give you the grand tour of my 1894 pile. What fun we will have!
Ross I long to see your mansion. I might just never want to leave it!
DeleteWhat a fantastic house and a great post which you've really put some work in to. I love this sort of stuff.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks! It is a fabulous house. One which I could be very happy in :)
Delete