2625 Newton Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55405, USA

2625 Newton Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, USA

2625 Newton Ave S Home History
Purcell Feick and Elmsiie, 1912 / restored, MacDonald and Mack Architects, 1996

A disciplined and efficient design from Purcell and Elmsiie. The house is essentially a stuccoes cube with a notch in one corner for the front door. Bands of casement windows punch through the smooth walls beneath a low pitched roof that rises from broad eaves. Extending out from this compact volume are a porch in front and what was originally a maid's room to the rear. Within is one of the firm's characteristic open plans, organized around a fireplace situated between the living and dining rooms. Budget limitations kept ornament to a minimum.

The house was built for Dr. Oscar Owre, a surgeon, and his wife, Katherine. Purcell later wrote, "Oscar was scared to death that his building was going to cost him more than he could afford, and had been told by all his friends that every building operation carried on by an architect was loaded with heartbreaking extras which would spoil all his fun, if not ruin him financially." Purcell managed to assuage the doctor's fears, and the house cost $17,275. which was $35 under budget. Katherine Owre, incidentally, was a daughter of reformer Jacob Riis, whose influential book How the Other Half Lives painted a grim picture of New York City's slums.

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

Dr. Oscar Owre House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The Dr. Oscar Owre House is significant for its Prairie School design by the prominent Minnesota architectural firm of Purcell, Feick and Elmslie. The house was constructed in 1912 for Dr. Owre, a University of Minnesota professor in the School of Dentistry. The design for the Owre House focuses on a central cube form which is extended through the use of porches and extensions into a rectangular plan. The massing of the plan, use of surface materials and fenestration all reflect the Prairie School design tradition. The architectural partnership of William Grey Purcell and George Feick was formed in 1907. In 1909, they were joined by George Grant Elmslie who had come from the offices of Louis Sullivan. Feick left the firm in 1913, and Purcell and Elmslie continued the Minneapolis practice until the 1920's. The architectural team of Purcell and Elmslie played a significant role in the development of the Prairie School in the early twentieth century. Using a design vocabulary originally developed by Louis Sullivan and expanded by Frank Lloyd Wright and others, the firm of Purcell and Elmslie created their own interpretation of the Prairie School style. The Owre House is an important local example of the interpretative design tradition established by the Prairie School architects - Purcell and Elmslie.

The Oscar Owre House is an outstanding example of the ability of the Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie firm to produce an excellent design while working with young cost-conscious clients. In 1911, Dr. Oscar Owre was in the early stages of what proved to be a distinguished and successful medical career. He was "scared to death" that the house would eventually cost more than he could afford if he hired the architects. Purcell assured him it could be built for the estimated $17,000 if Owre cooperated. On completion, the house came in $35 under budget.1 Dr. Oscar Owre began his career as an instructor in oral surgery at the University of Minnesota in the School of Dentistry from 1907-12 where his older brother Alfred Owre was dean. From 1910-13, Oscar Owre was also an instructor in "gen-ito urinary diseases" at the University. He then affiliated himself with the Minneapolis College of Physicians and Surgeons, and eventually served as a staff surgeon specializing in urinary and venereal diseases in the Swedish and Lutheran hospitals in Minneapolis. Purcell and Elmslie Para biographical file. Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. ^Oscar Owre file, Walter Library, University Archives, University of Minnesota.

Photo by Roger Potter