1121 West 3rd Street
Red Wing, MN, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Towne-Akenson House

Statement of Significance:

The Widow Towne-Akenson House is significant as Red Wing's outstanding frame Italianate house. It retains a significant degree of original design integrity and exhibits architectural detail characteristic of the Italianate style in residential architecture. The number of substantial Italianate houses in Red Wing is striking for a town of its size. Most of these houses were built during the 1870s and are indicative of the remarkable commercial growth the city experienced at that time. The Widow Towne-Akenson House is worthy of preservation because it is the best-preserved example in frame construction of a style that was very popular in Red Wing during the 1870s.

City records indicate that this house was built by Fannie Towne, a widow, around 1875. She sold the house to Nels Akenson in 1894. The house is best known locally for its association with its second owner. Nels Akenson lived there for some fifty years. He owned a grocery store in Red Wing and was active in local affairs.

The Widow Towne-Akenson House is significant as Red Wing's best preserved frame Italianate house associated with an era of Red Wing's history of tremendous prosperity and local pride.