202 2nd Avenue South
Sauk Rapids, MN, USA

National Register of Historic Places - Leonard Robinson House (Hommerding's Board and Care Home)

Statement of Significance:

The Leonard Robinson House is significant as the primary structural link with the early years of the locally important granite quarrying industry in the Sauk Rapids-St. Cloud area. The industry has undergone two distinct phases in its development. The first phase dates from 1868 when the first major granite quarry in Minnesota was opened near the present state reformatory south of Sauk Rapids. This phase, with its emphasis on stone destined for use in buildings and bridges, witnessed the tenuous existence of numerous small firms struggling against stiff eastern competition and exorbitant transportation costs. The second phase, in which the industry has flourished, commenced in the mid-1890s when granite became popular for monumental work. Leonard Robinson was a leading pioneer during the initial phase of development. He opened the area's second major quarry in Sauk Rapids in 1871 providing stone for numerous railroad bridges and several commercial and public structures including the Iowa State Capitol- Robinson's quarry folded in 1876 in the aftermath of the financial panic of 1873. He erected his locally renowned granite residence in 1873 when at the height of his success as a Sauk Rapids' quarryman.