300 Hill St
Red Wing, MN 55066, USA

Minnesota Historic Homes National Registry Prairie Purcell and Elmslie Red Wing

Known as one of Minnesotas best examples of the Prairie School style, as well as one of the finest designed by its architects, William Purcell and George Elmslie, this modern home for the time was the talk of the town when construction was completed in 1913. Built for Elmore S. Hoyt, then President of the Red Wing Union Stoneware Company, the home was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1975. The house remained in the Hoyt family until 1976, and has only had two other owners in its long history. Hoyt was born in Kansas, arriving in Red Wing in 1881 at the age of eighteen years. He began working as a salesman with the Minnesota Stoneware Company and eventually married a local veterinarians daughter, Florence McCart, in 1888. In 1893, Hoyt was named general manager of the company. He later helped engineer the merger of the Minnesota Stoneware Company and the Red Wing Union Stoneware Company in the early 1900s, becoming its president. The companyeventually became Red Wing Pottery, a name that still resonates with collectors and enthusiasts today. Well positioned on its lot, the Elmore Sherman Hoyt Housestands as a testament of the modern movement that still resonates today. Sections of the second floor cantilever over the main floor with many of the brackets featuring fret-sawn ornamental panels of botanical and geometric details designed by Elmslie. The exterior rose-colored stucco was specifically chosen by the architects to pair with the Oriental brick brought in from Brazil, Indiana. A decorative screen, befitting the architectural style, was added in 1915 by the architects to the passageway leading from the house to the garden shed and garage. One of the standout features of the Hoyt House is the 99 diamond-patterned art glass windows arranged in long bands around the home, and inside too. Designed by Elmslie, who had an artistic specialty for ornamental motifs, the windows consist of pale, opalescent colors and clear glass to allow as much natural sunlight into the home as possible. The living room, dominated by windows, features a massive art glass pocket door, as well as a built-in bench and wood burning fireplace. The decorative mosaic panel above the fireplace, designed by Edward L. Sharretts of Mosaic Arts Shops in Minneapolis, is made of ultramarine, green, and black opal glass and porcelain with antique dull gold leaf fired on, and depicts a moonlit scene with clouds and trees. In the dining room, two grand built-in buffets with art glass flank the entry into the pantry, where the original telephone room has been converted to a half bath. The kitchen is the only room that has had extensive updates over the years, and features a set of cabinets that were originally used in the living room as bookcases. The E. S. Hoyt House has been featured in the following books: Minnesotas Own: Preserving Our Grand Homes At Home on the Prairie: the Houses of Purcell and Elmslie Historic Homes of Minnesota A Face of Red Wing UPDATE: SOLD It is also currently For Sale . Make sure to view the 3-D interactive home tour !

E. S. Hoyt House

The house is one of their more elaborate designs because its owner had a budget that allowed for lavish decoration. The result is comparable to the William Gray Purcell House and the Edward L. Powers House, both in Minneapolis. The horizontal lines of the Prairie School are more pronounced in this house; they are expressed in the bands of art glass windows on both levels and the cantilevered second story. Its owner, E.S. Hoyt, was the president of the Red Wing Stoneware Company.

The exterior is clad with brick on the first floor and red stucco on the second floor. The house has ten rooms and about 3,600 square feet (330 m2) of floor space. It has 99 diamond-paned art glass windows and a considerable amount of quarter sawn white oak wood ornamentation. The second story of the house is cantilevered over the first story. The entrance opens into a hallway that leads to a library on the left and a living room on the right. The living room, dining room, and an enclosed porch are all stretched across the front of the house and provide plenty of light through the art glass windows. Several of these windows provide panoramic views of the Mississippi River. The kitchen is located behind the dining room, although it has been remodeled since its original design. The second floor of the house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms, several of which have corner windows that expand the sense of space. The maid's room, over the kitchen, had a separate staircase.

National Register of Historic Places - E. S. Hoyt House

Statement of Significance:

The E.S. Hoyt house, constructed in 1913. represents a synthesis of the open plan (which characterized Prairie School houses) and a more traditional plan arrangement. The basic design was by Purcell with Elmslie adding ornamental touches both inside and out. Thus, this house is a distinctive and successful example of not only the firm's exceptional problem-solving ability but also their unique talent for dovetailing their contributions to achieve the final solution. They created a house which blends well with the site while at the same time takes supreme advantage of its elevation, affording a fine view (now somewhat obscured) of the Mississippi River. The dwelling also represents an early attempt to provide greater ventilation for the attic and thus more cooling for the second-floor bedrooms by the installation of ventilators in the chimneys and a large one at the rear of the house. In the words of David Gebhard, its design is "as original as any devised during these years" and "a close examination. . .will dispel the myth that Purcell and Elmslie can adequately be considered as just another 'Wrightian firm." .