201 1st Street South
Montgomery, MN, USA

Westerman Lumber Office and House

The Westerman Lumber Office and House is a historic building in Montgomery, Minnesota, United States. The private, commercial structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on March 15, 1982. The structure is considered an outstanding example of the brick buildings built in the area of Montgomery and New Prague during the late 19th century, using bricks manufactured in the Minnesota River Valley.

Structure
Henry E. Westerman settled in Le Sueur County in 1873, and moved to Montgomery to start a sawmill when the town was founded in 1877. He established the Westerman Lumber Company in 1889. The building was constructed in the 1880s as a small, wood frame office building. Westerman purchased the structure in 1891 to use as an office. He added to the back of the structure in 1895 so it could house his family, and at the time had the structure veneered in brick. Westerman's company outgrew the building and it was sold in 1915; at that time the original entrance was bricked up. By 1996 it was being used as a private residence.

The building was later restored by former airline pilot John A. Grimm, who also restored Montgomery's other NRHP building, Hilltop Hall.

It currently houses a Pizzeria.

National Register of Historic Places - Westerman Lumber Office and House

Statement of Significance:

The Westerman Lumber Office and Residence is significant both for its association with the Westerman Lumber Company, a Montgomery founded company which has become an important south-central Minnesota lumber firm, and as an outstanding representative of the brick buildings constructed during the late nineteenth century in the Montgomery and New Prague area. Henry E. Westerman settled in the county in 1873 and moved to Montgomery to establish a sawmill when the town was founded in 1877. In 1889 he established the Westerman Lumber Company. Two years later he purchased a frame building for use as the company lumber office, and shortly thereafter enlarged the building and veneered it in brick. The structure was utilized as the family residence as well as the lumber office. Westerman sold the building in 1915. The Westerman Lumber Company has since grown to be a large south-central Minnesota concern with branch offices in towns across the area. During the late nineteenth century, brick manufactured in the Minnesota River Valley area was utilized for the construction of a wide range of buildings in the Montgomery and New Prague area. With its ties to the beginnings of a locally important company, and with its well-preserved condition, the Westerman Lumber Office is a distinguished example of this locally popular building phenomena.