218 Winona Street Southeast
Chatfield, MN, USA

Ellen Lovell House

The Ellen M. Lovell House, also called Oakenwald Terrace, is a bed and breakfast in Chatfield, Minnesota, United States. The L-shaped Shingle Style structure was built in 1896. It is next door to the George Haven House, both properties were originally part of the estate of prominent Chatfield financier Jason C. Easton.[2] listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Oakenwald Terrace was the name given to her house when in 1897 Ellen Lovell built the house of her dreams. Mrs. Lovell was the original owner and the primary occupant for over 20 years. Her son Frink was 15 years old in 1897 when the family moved in, but a few years later he was off building a life of his own. Daughter Anna was married in the house in February 1897, the day after the family moved in, but although mother Ellen had a room in the house specifically for her daughter and son in law, the couple never lived there. The house was built after Ellen's husband Charles had died.

When converting the house to a bed and breakfast, the Lund family that has owned the home since 1973 had no trouble deciding on a name for their property. Since it had been named while on the architects drawing board, there was no reason to use any name other than Oakenwald Terrace. The 10,000+ square foot home is decorated with furniture and accessories from the turn of the century, including some of the original items from the home. The owners love to share the history with guests. Guests to the house often describe it as museum quality, but it is friendly and comfortable in addition to being a bit of living history.

National Register of Historic Places - Ellen Lovell House

Statement of Significance:

The Ellen J. Lovell House is primarily significant for its noteworthy design. In 1895, Ellen Lovell, widow of Chatfield merchant and financier Charles M. Lovell, purchased the southern third of the Jason Easton • estate from its second owner Lucian Johnson. (Easton was a central figure in early real estate speculation and finance in southeastern Minnesota; he left Chatfield in 1884.) The portion of the estate purchased by Mrs. Lovell contained the Easton residence, which she demolished and replaced with a new dwelling. T1 0akenwald Terrace", as the home came to be called, survives today as an unaltered example of the Shingle Style. It is reported that the house was designed by "a Boston architect", and although it is known that Ellen Lovell made trips to Boston during these years, this has not been confirmed nor has research yet revealed the name of the architect. Nevertheless, Oakenwald Terrace is one of Minnesota's best examples of the Shingle Style.