322 East Vine Street
Owatonna, MN, USA

Dr. John H. Adair House

History

Dr. John H. Adair was introduced to Purcell and Elmslie by Charles Buxton, whose own Purcell and Elmslie-designed house was a few blocks away. The original proposal was for one of their traditional low-slung houses, but Adair found the proposed house to be too expensive. Purcell decided to raise the roof, later saying, "One can always see how I was always yearning for buildings with tall steep roofs and turned to that form whenever the occasion offered." The house has some resemblance to the Edward R. Hills House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois, with three stories, stepped-back hipped roofs, and bedrooms in the attic. The interior features generously sized rooms with built-in furnishing, art glass, and decorations in Elmslie's diamond motif. The fireplace has a semicircular opening with blue and gold glass mosaic accents, inspired by the nearby National Farmers Bank of Owatonna.

Architect: Purcell, Feick & Elmslie

National Register of Historic Places - Dr. John H. Adair House

Statement of Significance:

The Dr. John H. Adair House is architecturally significant as an outstanding example of the residential work of Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie in southeastern Minnesota. It is as well-adapted to life today as it was when built in 1913. The house is also significant for its associations with Dr. John H. Adair, one of Owatonna f s leading physicians. In the Adair House one can see the work of both principal designers of the high-pitched roof and side screen porch of Purcell, and the fine detailing of the elevations, the brightly painted ornament, and the interior detailing of Elmslie. The house displays unusual integrity both on the exterior and interior, except for a second-floor bathroom addition. It is in virtually original condition down to the light fixtures designed by Elmslie. The Adair House is one of Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie*s last commissions together as a trio and is the most outstanding Prairie-school design in Steele County. The house is a masterpiece of the tenets of Prairie school buildings which strongly assert their visual form; honestly express structure, material and use; and moderate cost.

The house was designed in 1913 by the firm of Purcell, Feick and Elmslie. William Gray Purcell (1880-1965) worked for Louis Sullivan for a short period in Chicago and established his own firm in Minneapolis and Chicago in 1906. The firm of Purcell and Feick was formed in 1906 and Feick remained until 1913. George Grant Elmslie (1871-1952) joined the firm of Putcell and Feick in 1909 after leaving Adler and Sullivan in Chicago where he had begun in 1889 and where he had become Sullivan’s chief draftsman in 1894. Elmslie left Purcell in 1921 to start his own firm and the successful collaboration of the two partners ceased.

Dr. John H. Adair was one of Owatonna f s leading physicians and was known for his civic mindedness. He was one of the first children born to settlers in Steele County in 1858 and attended Pillsbury Academy and Carlton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he graduated in 1880. He graduated from Rush Medical College in 1883 and began his practice in Winnebago, Minnesota, returning to Owatonna in 1884. Dr. Adair was Steele County coroner for many years, was a prominent booster of civic endeavors, and an excellent surgeon. No record has survived of how or why he hired the firm of Purcell, Feick and Elmslie to design his home in 1913, but he may have been influenced by Louis Sullivan's design for the National Farmers Bank in Owatonna in 1907-08.