1001 East Howard Street
Hibbing, MN, USA

Andrew G. Anderson House

The Andrew G. Anderson House is a historic house in Hibbing, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1920 for Andrew "Bus Andy" Anderson, a pioneer in the intercity bus service industry. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for its local significance in the themes of architecture and transportation. It was nominated for its association with Anderson and its status as one of the most lavish residences in the Hibbing area.


Description

The Andrew G. Anderson House is a two-story building of cream-colored brick. It stands on a substantial, well-landscaped lot on East Howard Street, Hibbing's central business thoroughfare. The house displays an eclectic mix of Colonial Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, as does its detached garage. The house has a hip roof clad in Spanish tile, with two small dormers and copper downspouts. The main entrance is on the left end of the south façade. A one-story sun porch projects from the west façade. The property is bordered by a wrought iron fence supported by brick piers.

History

Andrew Anderson and two partners launched a regular bus service between Hibbing and nearby Alice, Minnesota, in the 1910s. Their success was by no means assured, as rail transport was far more familiar and enjoyed a greater reputation for comfort and safety. With a booming local economy underpinned by iron mining, however, Anderson and a growing number of partners prospered, adding routes and vehicles to link the Iron Range communities into one of the nation's first intercity bus networks. Though Anderson's financial interests remained local, the business he helped launch grew into Greyhound Lines.

National Register of Historic Places - Andrew G. Anderson House

Statement of Significance:

The Anderson Home was "built "by one of the pioneers of the "bus industry and is one of the most sumptuous homes in the Hibbing area. The Greyhound Bus Company had its origins in Hibbing in the early 192&$. and Anderson, or "Bus Andy" as he was known locally, was in partnership with many of the company's founders. Anderson, himself, however, remained in Hibbing and owned the Mesaba Transportation Company, Although, the "bus- lines competed with railways for providing services: seven railroads owned interests: in them. Although the "bus: lines; had a major impact nationally in the development of national transportation systems; few major dividends, were returned to the Iron Range for this innovation in transportation and commerce.

Andrew G. Anderson, or "Bus Andy," as he was affectionately referred to in Hibbing, was a Swedish immigrant born in 1882 who, with two other men, started the Mesaba Transportation Company, the company acknowledged by the Greyhound Corporation to be both its historical parent and the first commercial bus operation in the country. In the latter part of 1914 Anderson and the two other men established a service, with a Hypomobile seven-passenger touring car as a bus, making regular trips between Hibbing and Alice, two miles. The service quickly grew to include several buses, and, on January 1, 1916, the Mesaba Transportation Company was organized with capital fixed at $25,000, Although the other founders left Hibbing and went on to become, for example, Chairman of the Board of the Greyhound Corporation, Anderson remained in Hibbing to operate the original company. He remained a resident of Hibbing until his death in the mid-1960s. Andersen's home is significant both as his residence and as the only unaltered structure in Hibbing associated with the nationally important development of bus transportation.