Without a concerted effort, our state’s historic and cultural treasures are in danger of being lost to time. The Minnesota Historical Society awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant in the amount of $7,000 to the City of Mankato. The grant was approved by the Society’s awards committee on July 22, 2010 and will support its Historic Survey of 12 Properties for Local Designation Project. Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants are made possible by the Minnesota Legislature from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund created with passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution in November 2008. The grants are awarded to support projects of enduring value for the cause of history and historic preservation across the state. Historic Survey of 12 Properties for Local Designation Project The Historic Survey of 12 Properties for Local Designation Project is a project of enduring value because it will provide a list of properties to be listed on Mankato’s Local Historic Registry. The project begins on October 1, 2010 with an anticipated completion date of February 1, 2011. The project will include conducting historic surveys on 12 properties for potential local designation. “It is wonderful to see so many communities and local organizations benefitting from the Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants,” said Britta Bloomberg, deputy state historic preservation officer. “Minnesotans should be proud of the unprecedented opportunities these grants provide for organizations to preserve and share our history and cultural heritage. The impact of projects supported by Historical and Cultural Heritage Grants will be felt throughout the state for many years to come.” City of Mankato Historic Properties Survey and Local Designation Inventory Form Report Prepared for the City of Mankato Heritage Preservation Commission Prepared by Thomas R. Zahn & Associates LLC Spring 2011 Introduction The City of Mankato is proud of its past, and cognizant of the role its history can play in future development. Its recent efforts toward integrating preservation activities into city planning have been notable. In the fall of 2008 the City of Mankato approved the formation of the Mankato Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC). The Commission’s role in city government is to promote the principles of historic preservation through education and to help facilitate the preservation planning for Mankato’s historic resources. With the City Council’s adoption of the City of Mankato Heritage Preservation Ordinance in October of 2008, the City began the process of seeking recognition as a Certified Local Government (CLG). The nationwide CLG program helps local preservation groups transform themselves from grass‐roots advocates into policymakers. A city, county or township with a qualifying heritage preservation ordinance and HPC may become a CLG by applying to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the Minnesota Historical Society. CLG status enables the local government to apply for federal matching grants that assist in the preservation of local historic resources. By April 2009 the City of Mankato, through its HPC, was formally recognized as a Certified Local Government, making it eligible to apply for CLG grants for the implementation of preservation planning projects. Two months later, in June, the City was awarded a CLG grant, through the State Historic Preservation Office, for the development of a historic context study for Mankato. The preservation firm of Thomas R. Zahn & Associates LLC (TRZ&A) was selected to work with the HPC and City to complete the study that would serve as the foundation for future preservation planning within the community. The purpose of a historic contexts study is to focus on broad, over‐arching themes that provide the City with the means to organize and evaluate its resources and lend perspective on the past. By developing these preservation themes, the City can most effectively evaluate current resources, designate new ones, and plan educational preservation programming for future generations. With the completion of the City of Mankato Historic Context Study, in the spring of 2010 the HPC determined that its next initiative would be the implementation of a local designation program. At its April meeting the HPC began discussion on which properties should be selected for local designation and the resulting local resource protections. To gain momentum for the relatively new Commission and its local designation process, the HPC decided to secure approval from the owners of well‐known historic properties before selecting their buildings to be surveyed and designated. From this effort eleven property owners applied to have their properties included in the proposed survey. In the fall of 2010 the City of Mankato published a request for proposals for the architectural‐historic survey and the development of local designation inventory forms for twelve historic Mankato properties. The list included eleven privately‐owned properties and one public structure and site. In late September TRZ&A was selected to provide historical research and preservation planning services in completing the proposed documentation and designation forms. Methodology Prior to the October HPC meeting the consultants photographed all individually‐listed National Register (NR) properties in Mankato and began collecting on‐site survey information on the potential subject properties. The consultants then met with the Mankato HPC on October 14 to review the draft inventory form and to discuss the twelve properties that the HPC had selected for the survey. Seven of the properties were individually listed on the National Register, and three were listed as “contributing” components of a National Register district. The two remaining properties, the Maud Hart Lovelace House and the Kenny House ‐ both on Center Street ‐ were not listed on the National Register, but are considered good candidates for NR listing in the City of Mankato Historic Context Study. The consultants subsequently returned to Mankato in October and November to do further historic research, additional photography, and on‐site evaluations of the twelve selected properties. Following the survey, individual inventory forms were prepared for each property. The historic data for the National Register‐listed property forms was primarily drawn from NR documentation prepared in the 1970s‐early 80s. The data for the two non‐listed, Center Street properties came from more recent sources including the City’s historic context study. Where necessary, the information was revised, expanded or updated based on recent research or change in current conditions. Once the draft inventory forms were completed the City staff and the HPC reviewed the documents and their suggested changes were forwarded to the consultants. Where the review comments improved the accuracy or clarity of the survey, the forms were modified or expanded to reflect that new information. The final survey forms, this project report and all contract deliverables were submitted to the City and HPC in March of 2011. Surveyed Properties 112 South Riverfront Drive — Mankato Union Depot 204 South Fifth Street — Blue Earth County Courthouse 220 East Hickory Street — First Presbyterian Church 228 East Pleasant Street— Adolph O. Eberhart House 301 North Riverfront — Stahl House 301 South Fifth Street — Old Main, Mankato State Teachers College 325 North Riverfront — Heilscher Physician Building 329 North Riverfront — Wenzl Huttl Tailor Shop 332 Center Street — Kenney House 333 Center Street— Maud Hart Lovelace House 603 South Second Street — Lorin Cray House 606 South Broad Street — R.D. Hubbard House Survey Inventory Form In preparation for the on‐site survey and the October meeting with the HPC, the consultants developed a draft inventory form. (See attached form.) The form layout includes tables for PROPERTY LOCATION and PROPERTY INFORMATION. The narrative of the inventory form includes sections on: Description; History; Evaluation; Integrity; and Condition. The narrative is followed by a listing of sources used in the historical research and documentation on the individual properties. To support the narrative, both historic and current photographs are incorporated into the individual forms. The photographs are followed by copies of early Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps showing the subject properties as originally constructed. Property Name: Historic buildings are typically named for their significant historic associations. With a residential building this is usually the name of the first owners, or in some cases a subsequent owner who achieved significant recognition for contributions to the community, state or nation. Historic commercial buildings are generally named after the first business or business owners of the property. Civic properties most often retain their original use name Inventory No.: Inventory numbers were added to the forms, which had previously been assigned by the Minnesota SHPO. PIN, Plat, Block and Lot: The PIN (Property Identification Number), plat, block and lot data was provided by the City of Mankato. Date of Construction: Most dates of construction were provided in the National Register nominations or from City records. NR Status and NR Recommendation: The National Register status indicates the property’s current status, which is recorded by date‐listed for the individually listed properties, and by district name and date‐listed for contributing properties in the North