Ramsey County History Published by the RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Editor: Virginia Brainard Kunz
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
RAMSEY Ramsey County Historical Society COUNTY “History close to home” Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St. St. Paul, MN 55102 HISTORY Ramsey County History Published by the RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Editor: Virginia Brainard Kunz Contents Beer Capital of the State St. Paul’s Historic Family Breweries by Gary J. Brueggmann................................. Page 3 Volum e 16 Num ber 2 Montgomery Schuyler Takes on ‘the West’ By Patricia M u rp h y .................................... Page 16 1910’s ‘One-horse’ Gladstone Recalled By Lucile A r n o ld ............ ............................ Page 21 RAMSEY COUNTY HISTORY is published semi annually and copyrighted 1981 by the Ramsey County Historical Society, Landmark Center, 75 West Fifth Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55102. Membership in the Society carries with it a subscription to Ramsey County Cover Photo: This photograph o f the Yoerg Brewery, History. Single issues sell for $3 Correspondence nestling up against the bluffs o f St. Paul’s West Side, was concerning contributions should be addressed to the taken in 1933. The brewery was located at Ohio and Ethel editor. The Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors. Manuscripts and other streets. Photos with the story on St. Paul'sfamily brewer editorial material are welcomed but no payment can be ies are from the collections o f the Minnesota Historical made for contributions. All articles and other editorial Society. Sketches for the Montgomery Schuyler story are material submitted will be carefully read and published, if reproducedfrom Vol. LXXXHI, Number 497, o f Harper's accepted as space permits. New Monthly Magazine for 1891 (pages 736-755). 2 Montgomery Schuyler Takes on ‘the West’ B Y PATRICIA MURPHY n 1891, Montgomery Schuyler (1843- ern Architecture: St. Paul and Minneapolis.”1 I 1914) a leading late 19th century archi SCHUYLER’S ARCHITECTURAL criti tectural critic from the east coast, penned cism is provocative, witty, progressive, and some vituperative remarks about Twin Cities even biting. He was an accomplished writer of architecture. His commentary is of interest both architectural and literary criticism. today for several reasons. It demonstrates the Though not an architect, he was acquainted dichotomy of the 1890s between American with most of the prominent eastern architects architects who were following the models of the period, and won their respect through provided by the architectural traditions of the his insightful commentary. An extremely well- east coast, and those who were trying to create read man, he employed complex literary allu a particularly “western” expression. sions in his writings on architecture, often Schuyler’s article also reveals an easterner’s without a clue as to their source. His writing haughty and superior views toward the culture style is often confusing and convoluted since and architecture of the midwest. In addition, he often referred to something mentioned in his commentary provides insights about the passing several pages previously. architecture of the Twin Cities, and about the In his 1891 Harpers article, Schuyler began effects of the rivalry between St. Paul and his analysis of the architecture of the Twin Minneapolis on the architecture of both cities. Cities by referring to Anthony Trollope’s Schuyler spent most of his long and prolific observations on his visit to Minnesota, pub career writing perceptive essays about the lished in North America in 1862. Schuyler architecture of such east coast cities as Boston noted that: and New York. His articles appeared in “As might be expected, he (Trollope) ad Harpers, Scribners, Architectural Record, the mired with enthusiasm the works of nature, New York Times and other widely circulated and as might certainly have been expected, he periodicals and newspapers of the late 19th found little to admire in the handiwork of man. ” and early 20th centuries. Schuyler, who had Schuyler seems to agree with Trollope’s attended but never graduated from Hobart estimation. His article reveals his deep-seated College in New York State, was eastern- belief in the cultural superiority of the east educated and eastern-oriented and, perhaps coast over “the west,” which to him encom as a result, he lavished most of his attention passed the entire section of the country west of on Richard Morris Hunt, Henry Hobson Pittsburgh. Richardson, and other prominent eastern IN HIS ESSAY Schuyler talked generally architects. about the development and architecture of Yet, Schuyler was also intrigued by the both St. Paul and Minneapolis. In a somewhat architecture of “the west” in the rapidly ex florid passage, he noted that: panding cities of Chicago (which to him was “St. Paul has been developed from the the center of the west), St. Paul and Minne frontier trading post o f the earlier days by an apolis, which he visited in 1890. He lauded the evolution the successive stages o f which have efforts of major Chicago architects Louis left their several records, but Minneapolis has Sullivan, John Wellborn Root, and Daniel risen like an exhaltation, or to adopt an even Burnham, but he had less than favorable mustier comparison, has sprung from the remarks about the architecture of the Twin heads o f its projectors full-panoplied in brick Cities. These were published in Harpers in and mortar. ” 1891, in an article entitled “Glimpses of West- Schuyler observed astutely that the charac ter of downtown St. Paul was influenced by its About the Author: Patricia Murphy is director o f the constricted location on the bluffs overlooking historic sites survey o f Ramsey county which is being the Mississippi River and below the bluffs of conducted jointly by the Ramsey County Historical Society and the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commis Summit Avenue. He noted that due to the sion. A St. Paul native, she holds a master o f architectural limited amount of space for expansion, by the history degree from the University o f Virginia. She was late 1880s and early 1890s tall buildings were a curator o f the University O f Minnesota Gallery exhibi tion, “Cass Gilbert: Minnesota Master Architect." necessity if the city’s commercial district were 16 to continue to grow. By that time, too, ad vances in building technology and the popu larity of the elevator made it possible to build taller buildings. He reported that: “In St. Paul the elevator came as a needed factor in commercial architecture since the strip o f shore to which the town was confined in Trollope’s time still limits and cramps the business quarter, and leaves only the vertical dimension available for expansion. Towering III buildings are the normal outcome of such a situation. ” He added that Minneapolis had more room for new buildings in its business district: “Minneapolis, on the other hand, occupies a tableland above the river, which at present is practically unlimited. ” However, Schuyler perceived that the tre mendous rivalry which governed all facets of life in the two cities was of greater importance than the availability of room for expansion in St. Paul versus Minneapolis. He commented that: "... it is necessary to bear in mind not only the rapidity o f the growth o f the two cities, but the intensity o f the rivalry between them S- a rivalry which the stranger hardly compre hends, however, until he has seen the workings o f it on the spot... the altitude (i.e. height) o f The Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church, the newest and tallest structures o f Minneapo still standing at Dayton and Mackubin. lis could scarcely be explained without refer ence to the nearness o f St. Paul, and the that although the cities are so near together, intensity of the local pride born of that the architects are confined to their respective nearness, i f the physical necessities o f the case fields, and it is very unusual, if not unex prescribed ten story buildings in St. Paul, the ampled, that an architect o f either is employed moral necessity of not being outdone would in the other. ’’ prescribe twelve story buildings for Minne This certainly was the case in St. Paul where apolis. ” Schuyler was not alone in noting the impact architects Cass Gilbert, James Knox Taylor, of this rivalry on architecture. Writing at Clarence Johnston, and others played roles of about the same time, the accomplished Chi immeasurable importance in shaping the cago architect John Wellborn Root noted architectural character of the entire city. that: Local architects were well aware of this “In cases like St. Paul and Minneapolis, rivalry, as was noted in a local trade publica every move of either city is watched by the tion, the Northwestern Builder, Decorator other with the keenest interest, and every and Furnisher (the title varies) in 1889: structure of importance in one city becomes “The Minnesota Architectural Sketch Club only the standard to be passed by the other. ?f- was organizedjust a few months ago and was The effect of this intense competition was composed, in the main, o f the Minneapolis that St. Paul architects almost never designed draftsmen. Just why the St- Paul draftsmen buildings in Minneapolis and vice-versa, even would not join the movement we are unable to learn. It may be that the young men o f the two though in both cities out-of-state architects cities wanted to follow the universal example were often called in from great distances to set by their elders and have rival organizations, design prestigious buildings. It was a consider and so such a rival was form ed and called the able feat, then, for a St. Paul architect to St. Paul Sketch Club. ” receive a commission in Minneapolis, or vice- Schuyler’s article also demonstrates the versa, and it seems that when this did happen division in the American architectural profes the client often would be from outside the sion in the 1880s and 1890s between those state, and perhaps unaware of the ramifica architects who were content to follow the tions of such a move.