50 Irvine Park
St Paul, MN 55102, USA

Horn House History

When the house was built in 1869 it originally faced the river with an address on Washington Street. David Riddle Breed, who was one of the founding clergy of House of Hope Presbyterian Church, occupied the house.

In 1874 Dr. Jacob H. Stewart purchased the Washington Street house. Stewart was the distinguished surgeon of the 1st Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War and later served five terms as mayor of St. Paul.

In 1881 Henry and Fanny Banning Horn, Stewart's neighbors, bought the home. Industrialization of the riverfront, popularity of more ornate architectural styles and recent park improvements led the Horns to undertake an extensive redesign of the house which shifted the orientation of the front of the house away from the river to the park.

After Henry Horn's death, his widow converted the large house into a double house. The house was sold in 1907 to James A. Young who operated a fuel business at the Upper Levee.

By the time the Irvine Park District was established, the property had deteriorated and was being used to store machine parts. A fire in 1980 destroyed the original Washington Street portion of the house.

The Horn Family

Henry J. Horn (1821-1902) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of John Horn and Priscilla Fentham Horn, read the law in the offices of Henry G. Gilpin, was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1849, moved to St. Paul in 1855, was a member of the St. Paul Board of Education from 1858 until 1859, was the St. Paul City Attorney from 1859 until 1860, was the Ramsey County Attorney from 1864 until 1866, drafted the legislative enactment establishing the St. Paul Board of Public Works in 1871, drafted, with I. V. D. Heard and George L. Otis, a revision to the St. Paul City Charter, was the special counsel for the City of St. Paul in litigation over the creation of Smith Park and over the reclamation of the St. Paul levee for public use, and was a member of the House of Hope Presbyterian Church. Henry J. Horn married Fannie Banning in St. Paul in 1859 and the couple had eight children, including Alexander G. Horn, a lawyer.

Architecture Place

Black and white photograph of the exterior of a house at 50 Irvine Park during renovation.

Architecture Place Transportation Weather

Black and white photograph of 50 Irvine Street in Saint Paul.

1908

The 1908 city directory indicates that James A. Young, Jr., of James A. Young & Sons, resided at this address.

1895

The 1895 city directory indicates that Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Horn, their daughter, A. E. Horn, and H. J. Horn, Jr., resided at this address.

1887

The 1887 city directory indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Horn, their daughters, H. J. Horn, Jr., and A. E. Horn all resided at the corner of Walnut Street and Irvine Park