3116 3rd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN, USA

A house that sparked historic preservation in the Healy Block and beyond

A house that sparked historic preservation in the Healy Block and Beyond
Built: 1891
Cost estimated on building permit: $5,000

In 1887, lumberman Henry H. Bennett hired one of T. P. Healy’s contemporaries, the English-American master builder Henry Ingham, to build a house for him and his wife at 3112 3rd Ave. South (next door to 3116). But when Bennett wanted a barn, he hired Healy to build it. Then, in 1891, the Bennetts hired Healy to build 3116. However, they lived at 3116 for just two years.

The second owners, Hiram W. and Viola Foote, lived here from 1894 to 1901. Hiram grew up in Wisconsin in a house that was a stop on the Underground Railroad. He worked in the drug industry and was Minnesota’s Inspector of Oils. Foote hired Healy to build the barn behind 3116 in 1893. A carriage stone (to step on when alighting from a carriage) with Foote’s name on it remains on the property today.

John M. & Arminda McBride bought 3116 in 1905. John McBride was one of the first merchants in the Nicollet-Lake area, running a thriving grocery business. John lived in the house until his death in 1945. His daughter Esther McBride occupied the house until she sold it in 1967 to Ronald Domanski and Norm Lindberg.

The Bennett-McBride house has played a unique role in the late twentieth century rediscovery of Healy’s importance in Minneapolis architectural history. From the 1976 Designers Showcase brochure: “Messrs. Domanski and Lindberg who now own the Bennett-McBride house have a strong interest in renovation and historic preservation. Through their efforts the house has been listed on the Minneapolis Inventory of Historic and Pre-historic Places. They are now in the process of getting the house listed on the Federal Registry. In 1972 they received Distinguished Citizen Awards from the Committee on Urban Environment (CUE) for the restoration of their home.” Domanski and Lindberg also served on CUE (which is no longer extant) and in other programs to upgrade their neighborhood. When the Bennett-McBride House was put on the National Register of Historic Places, it was described as the work of “architect John Healey.” Theron Potter Healy was not discovered until 1978.

The Bennett-McBride House has avoided many of the changes that might have obscured its original architecture. Esther McBride’s excellent caretaking and her sale to young enthusiastic preservationists saved the house during a period when many other houses in the district were altered.

When Jamie and Jennifer Van Nort MacDonald were forced to sell the house because of her health issues in 2012, the house was purchased by Theron Healy’s great grandson, architect John Cunningham and his wife Sally Cunningham. They originally just planned to fix up the house and sell it, but in 2014 they moved in. They have undertaken an extensive restoration both inside and out. They also have restored the Healy barn, one of three left on the Healy Block. They received an award from the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Preserve Minneapolis in 2015 for their restoration work.

The Bennett-McBride House is a classic Healy Queen Anne. The house is cross-gabled with a high front gable and the side gables subordinated to the main ridge. The Palladian attic window has a serpentine pediment and paneled woodwork underneath.

The second story features two of Healy’s signature design elements, which can be found on several houses is this historic district:
• Paired, arched Moorish stained glass windows over a single-pane window.
• A cozy porch under the cantilevered front gable with upper fretwork, turned columns, and a decorated balustrade.

The roof of the first floor porch has gable-ends facing north and south; fretwork above, a decorated balustrade, criss-cross screening in the skirt; a second pair of arched Moorish windows in stained glass over a single-pane window; and double oak doors with carved panels.

John Cunningham has claimed (perhaps tongue-in-cheek) that he bought the house for the barn. The two original horse stalls are still there with a lingering equine aroma. To restore the barn, structural contractor John Jepsen jacked up and straightened the structure and set it down on a new foundation. Then new siding was milled and installed. The barn, with its cupola, resembles one built in Healy’s birthplace, Round Hill, Nova Scotia, by Healy’s brother, Anderson Healy. John Cunningham uses the hay mow in the summer months as his poker room, with cigar smoke wafting out of the cupola. The portrait of his other great grandfather, Welcome Johnston (see 3139 2nd Ave. So. in this tour for the Healy-Johnston familial relationship), hangs in the third floor of the house on a wall overlooking a pool table.

3116 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, USA

From listing:

Rare opportunity to own the Bennett-McBride house in Mpls! On the National Historic Registry and on the Healy Block of Mpls. landmarks. Ornate woodwork of oak, ash, and cherry throughout. Solid oak pocket doors, HWF, wonderful conversational spaces yet open with great flow. 10ft ceilings on main, 9ft on 2nd floor. The Grand staircase has a stained glass window at the top. 3rd floor has BR, billiard room, and R.I. for a bath. Garage has huge upper loft, ideal for studio, summer entertaining or storage, bonus(stable) storage area main level. Home has double-wall construction, efficient to heat and cool. Modern updates of SS appls, rebuilt windows, updated HVAC, plumbing, and electrical make this move-in ready to entertain. 2nd fl BR office shelving does not stay. 2015 Winner of Mpls Heritage Preservation Award for Restoration. You will LOVE this home!

National Register of Historic Places - Bennett-McBride House

Statement of Significance:
The Bennett-McBride residence built-in 1891, is a well-preserved example of the Queen Anne revival style of domestic architecture. The style was easily adapted to large-scale development, due to the standardization of floor plans and the availability of mass-produced millwork pieces for the architect or the builder to choose from. The style was popular during a period of large population growth in Minneapolis during the 1890s and is seen throughout parts of South Minneapolis.

The Bennett-McBride house is a representative example of the form that this style took in Minneapolis, Incorporated in the design of the house are Palladian windows, Moorish arches, a Gothic stairway plus other popular decorative elements such as spindle work, filigree carving and stained glass used throughout the design to create a delicate, jewel-like appearance.

The Bennett-McBride house was designed using catalogue architecture. This method of designing from architecture display was common in housing of this era and explains both the similarities and combination of elements in Queen Anne houses. Houses were executed on similar floor plans with major elements alike. Distinctive features were products of millwork designers and were used as finishing touches.

The Bennett-McBride house is unique in the care taken in the preservation of these designed millwork pieces, both in the exterior and interior of the residence. These wooden elements were usually the first decorations to be removed to "modernize" a home to conform to changing personal tastes. The first owner, Henry Harrison Bennett lived next door at 3112, while his house was being built. He supervised the 30* x 60* frame dwelling's construction and lived here until 1893, when the property was sold to Hiram W. Foote. Mr. Foote, a state oil inspector, built a 20* x 30* barn in 1893. John H. McBride, a grocer in the Nicollet-Lake area, bought the house in 1904 and lived in it until his death in 1943. His daughter Esther occupied the house until 1967 when the present owners purchased it. The present owner received Distinguished Citizen Award from the Committee on Urban Environment (CUE) for the restoration of the house.

The Bennett-McBride House has been designated for preservation by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission (1976).

3116 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, USA