2199 1st St
White Bear Lake, MN 55110, USA

Kathryn Jean Holtz

Kathryn Jean Holtz funeral notice.

Cyrus B. Cobb House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The Cyrus B. Cobb House, built 1885 by an unknown designer, is historically significant as the home of one of White Bear Lake's early businessmen, and is architecturally significant as one of the most intact surviving Victorian era houses in all of White Bear Lake, and the only basically intact brick house built in White Bear Lake which predates 1890.

The City of White Bear Lake, located on the northwest shores of the lake, was first platted in 1871, and was incorporated in 1881. The town developed as a resort community for vacationers from all over the Midwest and many resort hotels and summer houses were built in the town and along the lake shore ‘beginning in the'mid-t850-'s. Most of the summer houses built in White Bear Lake were of wood frame construction, and were not well insulated since they were intended for summer use only. Many did not have kitchens since owners ate their meals at nearby clubhouses.

A small community of year-round residents was established in White Bear to cater to the flourshing resort industry. As streetcar and railroad connections between White Bear and St. Paul improved, many of the summer visitors also moved to White Bear Lake permanently, and many of their summer houses were adapted to year-round living, often necessitating renovation and expansions. For this reason, few of the houses which were built in White Bear Lake prior to 1890 have survived without major alterations.

The Cobb House, a large two-story brick house, was probably one of the few substantial brick, year-round dwellings constructed in White Bear Lake before 1890. It was built at the corner of 1st Street and Banning, within the boundaries of the original townsite of White Bear Lake.' It Was built 1885 as the home of Cyrus B. Cobb, a prominent White Bear Lake businessman who sold lumber, building materials, coal, etcetera, and who also sold real estate and insurance in partnership with James C. Murray, another influential White Bear Lake businessman and year-round resident. Cobb also owned a commercial building located at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Fifth Street. The tenants of the "Cobb Block" in 1890 Included Otto J. Troseth, a grocer, and the Lake Breeze newspaper and printing office. It seems ironic that Cobb, a lumber dealer, would construct a brick house, yet clearly this was one way for him to demonstrate his wealth and importance in the community. The Cobb House is symbolic of the early period of commercial and residential development of White Bear Lake.