George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen House

Infobox_nrhp | name =George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen House
nrhp_type =

---

caption =
location= Minneapolis, Minnesota
lat_degrees = 44
lat_minutes = 57
lat_seconds = 50
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 93
long_minutes = 16
long_seconds = 47
long_direction = W
locmapin = Minnesota
area =
built =1893
architect= Joralemon, Edgar F.
architecture= Renaissance, Romanesque
added = May 18, 1995
governing_body = Private
refnum=95000607cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen House is a mansion in the Stevens Square neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The owner, George W. Van Dusen, was an entrepreneur who founded Minnesota's first and most prosperous grain processing and distribution firm in 1883.cite web|url=http://www.vandusencenter.com/history.html|title=Van Dusen Center|accessdate=2008-08-22] In 1891, he hired the firm of Orff and Joralemon to build a 12,000 square foot mansion on what was then the southwestern edge of Minneapolis. His house reflects the prosperity achieved by business owners who were making money in the flourishing grain, railroad, and lumber industries in the late 19th century.cite web|url=http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/hpc/landmarks/LaSalle_Ave_1900_George_Van_Dusen_Mansion.asp|title=George W. Van Dusen Mansion|publisher=Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission|date=February 2007|accessdate=2008-08-22] The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

The exterior is built of pink Sioux quartzite quarried near Luverne, Minnesota. The roof and turrets are covered with Maine slate. The mansion is generally within the Richardsonian Romanesque form, but it also has French Renaissance design elements, such as steep roofs, and a soaring, slender turret topped with a copper finial. The interior mixes elements of French, Gothic, Tudor, Romanesque, and Elizabethan styles. It contains ten fireplaces, a grand staircase, large skylights, carved woodwork, parquet floors, and a tile mosaic in the entryway.

The house was later used by the Hamline University Law School, U.S. Communications, and Horst International Education Center, a predecessor of the Aveda Corporation. The house sat vacant from 1987 through 1994, during which time some of the woodwork deteriorated and some internal fixtures were pilfered.cite web|url=http://www.vandusencenter.com/history2.html|title=Van Dusen Center|accessdate=2008-08-22] A new owner, Bob Poehling, bought the building in December 1994, just two weeks before it would have been demolished. The exterior was cleaned, and all of the windows were replaced. The owners hired local craftspeople and artisans to repair and refinish woodwork, and they also hired a California carpenter to replace staircase balusters and bead molding. The carriage house and grand parlor were modernized to house meetings and events.cite web|url=http://www.vandusencenter.com/history2.html|title=Van Dusen Center|accessdate=2008-08-22]

References