1635 West 26th Street
Minneapolis, MN, USA

1635 West 26th Street, Minneapolis, MN, USA

1635 West 26th Street Home History
Purcell Feick and Elmslie, 1911

Although not as well-known as the Purcell-Cutts House two blocks away, this home is of com- parable quality. Clad in stucco above brick, it has an unusual plan in which the living room is at the rear of the house so as to capture what were once good views of Lake of the Isles: To accommodate this unorthodox layout, the main entry is well back to one side. The house's two-story polygonal front bay echoes a semicircular bay off the living room, a feature the architects also employed at their Decker House (1912, razed) at Lake Minnetonka.
This home is among the most richly adorned of Purcell and Elmslie's residential works, despite the fact that they had to do some major redesigning to cut costs. Elmslie had just joined the firm when the commission came in, and he poured out a wealth of gorgeous ornament in sawn wood, stencils, glass, and terra- cotta, including a magnificent plaque over the main fireplace.

Edward L. Powers was a vice president of the Butler Brothers Co., which a few years earlier had constructed a superb warehouse designed by Harry Jones in down- town Minneapolis. Perhaps Powers familiarity with that building sharpened his appetite for good architecture, which is certainly what he got here. In any event, Purcell described Powers and his wife as "people of fine intelligence and very appreciative of our methods and results." He also wrote, years later, that "this Powers House is a distinguished piece of work, and it still stands fresh and interesting, truly contemporary with the most thoughtful buildings of today." Purcell wasn't always a reliable guide to his own architecture, but in this case, it would be hard to disagree with him.

Citation: Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to the Minneapolis Lake District. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2009.