4400 W 50th St
Minneapolis, MN 55424, USA

4400 W 50th St, Minneapolis, MN 55424, USA

The George W. Baird House is a house in Edina, Minnesota, United States, built in 1886 by a prominent farmer in the Edina Mills community. The house was originally part of a 120-acre (49 ha) farmstead. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 for having local significance in architecture, agriculture, and settlement.

Architecture:
he house is two stories tall and is built in the Eastlake style. It has a distinctive silhouette, with multiple roof shapes, dormers, a square tower, and tall brick chimneys. The large front porch has wooden posts and balusters, with a pediment over the entrance. The exterior is embellished with stone window trim, transoms, scalloped wooden shingles in the gables, and belt courses. It was designed by prominent Minneapolis architect Charles S. Sedgwick.

The house is significant for its architecture, although it is not an outstanding example of a Charles Sedgwick-designed Eastlake house when compared to other houses. Sedgwick also designed other properties listed on the National Register, such as the George R. Newell House and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, and the First National Bank and the Nehemiah P. Clarke House in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

History:
In addition to its architectural notability, the house recalls the agricultural roots of Edina. The owner, George W. Baird, moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota in 1857 and bought a farm in the Edina Mills area. Baird was a promoter of scientific farming practices and pioneered in livestock breeding, and he is credited with bringing the first Merino sheep to Minnesota.

Baird and his wife Sarah helped found the Minnehaha Grange Hall in 1873 and both served as Grange Masters there at different times. Sarah Baird also led the state Grange for 18 years.

In 1936, 80 acres (32 ha) of the farm were platted as the County Club District, which itself is listed on the National Register. The home is in an excellent state of preservation, thanks to attention from current and previous owners. The house received a 3,500-square-foot (330 m2) addition in 2002–2003 that does not detract from the original appearance when viewed from West 50th Street.

Country Club Neighborhood, Five Other Properties Named Heritage Landmarks

Country Club Neighborhood, Five Other Properties Named Heritage Landmarks (text from original article)

The Country Club Neighborhood, George W. Baird house, Jonathan Grimes house, Paul Peterson house, Cahill School and Minnehaha Grange Hall have been named Edina Heritage Landmarks.

In 2002, the Edina City Council revised the section of the City Code that pertains to preservation. Under the revised ordinance, owners of properties designated as “Heritage Landmarks” are required to seek approval from the Heritage Preservation Board when applying for City permits to demolish or move historic structures or do excavation work in archeologically sensitive areas. In addition, building permits for construction of new homes in Heritage Landmark Districts require a “certificate of appropriateness” to ensure that new buildings do not impair the historic character of preserved properties. Approval is not required for remodeling work or additions.

The Country Club Neighborhood is bounded by Minnehaha Creek to the west, Sunnyside Road to the north, Arden Avenue to the east and 50th Street to the south. Approximately 550 homes are included in the district. The neighborhood, the first planned subdivision of Edina, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. However, since then, the City’s Heritage Preservation Board has struggled with addressing preservation needs there.

“Due to the National Register designation, many people assumed that there were controls in place to regulate building activity in the district,” said Associate Planner Joyce Repya, who serves as staff liaison to the board. “However, the National Register depends on the local government to provide controls and regulations. By the spring of 2001, the City had been receiving numerous calls and letters from residents of the Country Club district stressing their concerns regarding the demolition of homes in the neighborhood, as well as the proliferation of large additions which if uncontrolled could change the character of the district. The Heritage Preservation Board came to the conclusion that the time was right to consider designating the Country Club as historic …

“With the Edina Heritage Landmark designation in place, the City is able to protect the district’s historic integrity by ensuring that new construction is in keeping with the goals and objectives identified for the [neighborhood].”

The George W. Baird House, 4400 W. 50th St., Jonathan Grimes House, 4200 W. 44th St., Paul Peterson House, 5312 Interlachen Blvd., and Cahill School and Minnehaha Grange Hall, 4918 Eden Ave., were also designated as Heritage Landmarks. Owned by Bradley and Arlene Forrest, the Baird House was placed on the National Register in 1978. It is a brick Victorian-Eastlake house designed by architect Charles Sedgwick. When it was built in 1886, it was part of a 120- acre farmstead operated by one of the most prominent farmers in the Edina Mills community.

The Grimes House, owned by Bruce and Karen Ferrara, was placed on the National Register in 1975. It is a Gothic Revival house with Italianate influence. When it was built in 1869, it was part of a 160-acre farmstead. Grimes was one of Minnesota’s most active pioneer horticulturists and was the first president of the Minnesota Horticultural Society. He created the Jonathan apple and introduced the ginkgo and catalpa trees to the state.

Owned by Mark and Nancy Winter, the Peterson House was built in 1880 as part of a 100-acre farmstead. It is a late Victorian-Eastlake style house with significant gingerbread detailing. It is recognized as one of the few remaining Victorian-Eastlake homes in the Twin Cities area, as well as a well-preserved example of Edina’s agricultural heritage.

The Cahill School and Minnehaha Grange Hall, owned by the City and located in Tupa Park, were placed on the National Register in 1970. Cahill School, originally located on the southeast corner of West 70th Street and Cahill Road, stood as the geographic and spiritual center of the Irish-Catholic community known as the “Cahill Settlement.” The Grange Hall was originally located on the southeast corner of Wooddale Avenue and West 50th Street at the present site of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. It provided a critical gathering site for social, educational, and civic affairs of the Village, comparable to today’s City Hall.

4400 West 50th Street - National Register of Historic Places

Excerpt from Statement of Significance:
The George W. Baird House is a fine example of a Queen Anne style residence and the only structure of its kind in Edina. Designed by the noted Minneapolis architect, Charles S. Sedgwick (1856-1922), the original plans for the house are in the possession of the present owner.

Sedgwick established an office Minneapolis in 1884 and designed a large number of buildings, the majority of which were residences. His buildings were characterized by complex plans and agitated outlines. "They make use of many materials, are strongly chromatic, profusely ornamented and incorporate details from a great variety of stylistic sources."1 Sedgwick's residential designs tended to be pretentious with little regard to their size or cost. The Baird House represents one of the earliest houses he designed in this area.

George W. Baird was an important figure in the early days of Edina. A native of Pennsylvania, he came to Minnesota in 1857 and purchased a farm of 120 acres in what was the rural township of Richfield (now Edina). In the spring of 1860, he imported the first Spanish Merino sheep brought into the state. He sold the first fleece of fine wool in Minneapolis receiving 95 cents per pound. Later he concentrated his , efforts in raising fine Cotswold and Lincoln grades of sheep receiving first prizes at the Minneapolis Exposition of 1880.

Both George W. Baird and his wife, Sarah (Gates) Baird were active in the Grange. They were charter members of the Minnehaha Grange No. 398 formed in Edina in 1873. Both served at various times as Masters of this Grange (George W. Baird, 1877-79, 1900-04, 1908, Sarah G. Baird 1894-97). Sarah G. Baird also served as State Master of the Minnesota Grange for 18 years.

In 1888, George W. Baird was one of the members of a committee of five who were responsible for the formation of the Village of Edina when it seceded from Richfield.

Building Edina’s Baird House

An 1886 home required hard labor.
On their 20th wedding anniversary, sheep farmer George Baird promised to give his wife, Sarah, a new house, and the house still stands 127 years later as an Edina landmark.Building such a grand home in 1886 was no easy task, as Sarah documented in her diary. In January, Sarah pored over drawings, but wrote, “George thinks my plan is too large, so we cut it down. I don’t like the dining room now, but perhaps the architect can make it all right.”They picked prominent Minneapolis architect Charles Sedgwick to revise Sarah’s drawings. Live-in farmhand Robert Purdy suffered frostbite as he hauled the brick to the site, wagon-load by wagon-load, in the bitter January cold.Finding skilled labor seemed nearly impossible. Minneapolis workmen promised to travel to what was then remote Richfield Township and then failed to show. One contractor arrived drunk one afternoon, crashed his wagon and disappeared for a few days, bringing work to a standstill.When the workers finally appeared, Sarah fired up her wood stove, frying doughnuts, baking bread and cookies, and preparing meals for the crew. Offerings varied depending on the cooperation of the weather, the stove and the food available: pig’s feet, fish, dandelion greens and tough beef graced the menus. Sarah fell into bed exhausted each night and wondered why she felt unwell.George made several trips to Minneapolis to find a “girl” to help Sarah with her household chores, but Sarah found her assistant more irritating than helpful; she hired and fired at least three women as none could satisfy her.They worked so hard that they forgot George’s birthday and even labored on the Sabbath. “Oh, what work for a Sunday—more sin than I have seen before!” Sarah wrote in her diary as the project continued.Finally, they moved in January 28, 1887, even though the plastering, painting and carpets were not yet done. Sarah soon began writing of the pleasures of her new home: a bath in an indoor tub, light from the stained glass windows and the cozy warmth of their well-built home.