446 Main Street South
Hutchinson, MN, USA

Merton S. Goodnow House

The Merton S. Goodnow House at 446 S. Main St. in Hutchinson, Minnesota was built in 1913. It was designed by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

It was deemed architecturally significant as "a fine example of Prairie School architecture designed by the noted firm of Purcell and Elmslie." The firm focused on designs for relatively inexpensive houses on small lots, such as this. According to the NRHP nomination:

The houses were distinguished by simple massing, compact plans and, if possible, the use of inexpensive materials. Inspiration for these homes came from Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fireproof House for $5,000", published by the Ladies' Home Journal in 1907. The Goodnow House is characteristic of Purcell and Elmslie's residential designs with two stories, a gabled roof, tinted stucco and grouped windows. The massing is unified by string courses, extended beams and boldly overhanging roofs which co-exist with the interplay of horizontals and verticals. Typical of Purcell and Elmslie was the use of both brick and stucco on the exterior. The living room and dining room are opened as a single space which pivots around the fireplace. This was a highly sophisticated spatial arrangement maximizing the sense of space in a restricted area. This arrangement was continually refined by Purcell and Elmslie in their residential work.

National Register of Historic Places - Merton S. Goodnow House

Statement of Significance:

The Merton S. Goodnow House is a fine example of Prairie School architecture designed by the noted firm of Purcell and Elmslie. Purcell and Elmslie's practice were a direct successor of Louis Sullivan's and in a sense, it was a continuation of it. George Elmslie had been employed by Sullivan for 20 years, became his chief draftsman and designed most of the ornamentation which graced Sullivan's buildings. William Purcell was also briefly employed in Sullivan's office. In 1909 Elmslie left Sullivan to join Purcell in what became the single most important firm within the Prairie School. Until the dissolution of the partnership a dozen years later, the firm enjoyed a large and diversified practice bearing all the unmistakable characteristics of the Prairie Style.

The Goodnow House typifies the firms’ early years in which inexpensive houses for small city lots characterized their designs. The houses were distinguished by simple massing, compact plans and, if possible, the use of inexpensive materials. Inspiration for these homes came from Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fireproof House for $5,000", published by the Ladies' Home Journal in 1907. The Goodnow House is characteristic of Purcell and Elmslie's residential designs with two stories, a gabled roof, tinted stucco and grouped windows. The massing is unified by string courses, extended beams and boldly overhanging roofs which co-exist with the interplay of horizontals and verticals. Typical of Purcell and Elmslie was the use of both brick and stucco on the exterior. The living room and dining room are opened as a single space which pivots around the fireplace. This was a highly sophisticated spatial arrangement maximizing the sense of space in a restricted area. This arrangement was continually refined by Purcell and Elmslie in their residential work.

The firm's later years were mainly occupied with banks, public buildings and industrial designs. Yet, their designs continued to share an exemplary concern for how a building worked. By subtle manipulation of interior space, they created an environment which was efficient and pleasant in which to be. The Goodnow House remains an outstanding and well-preserved example of Purcell and Elmslie's successful collaboration. It is one of approximately twenty-five existing homes designed by the firm in Minnesota. Yet, considering the national prominence of Purcell and Elmslie, the house achieves particular significance in its rural Minnesota location. The Goodnow House is not only a notable example of the Prairie Style but a local architectural landmark in the town of Hutchinson.

*[Purcell is credited with the plans. Feick left the firm the year the house was designed.]