Sauk Centre Home School

Sauk Centre Home School [http://www.bwcalandco.com/Oakridge_Campus/disclaimer.htm]

Historic Significance

The subject property was entered on the National Register of Historic places in May, 1989. This is a listing of districts, sites, buildings structures, and objects considered of being worthy of preservation.

The architectural classification of the overall subject property is referred to as Neo-Classical Revival and Georgian Revival. A number of the cottages were named for women who were significant in American history, including Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Jenny.

Each of the buildings on the campus is described as either contributing or non-contributing, with the contributing buildings perceived as having historical significance. The contributing buildings include the Alcott Cottage; the Richard Cottage; the Stowe Cottage; the Sullivan Cottage; Morse Hall; the chapel; Lind Cottage; Sinclair Lewis Hall; Evers Cottage; the equipment garage; the horse barn; the machine shed; Mary Lyon Annex; Mary Lyon School; Pettit Cottage; the maintenance building; the chapel garage; the lake cottage; and the root cellar. Conversely, the non-contributing buildings include the fine arts building; the Tekakitha Cottage; the DuBois Cottage; Senator Popp Building; the bungalow garage; and the storage garage.

The subject property is further described as significant as it represents the "cottage" theory of state institutional design, as well as the work of Clarence H. Johnsont, Sr., a prolific St. Paul architect in the first 30 years of the 20th century. The buildings of the Home School were constructed according to the Cottage System of Institutional Care, which is a design theory used by state hospitals and mental asylums in the late 19th century. The system called for the institutions to be built away from the populous in a rural area to create a private, tranquil atmosphere, with farm operations often becoming an integral part of the property. The original property was gradually expanded so that by 1936 is consisted of 512 acres of land, which exceeds the current land area.

Please contact the Minnesota Historical Society for additional information at 651.296.6126.