1617 Dupont Avenue North: Randolph Ertl House

Norwegian architects and immigrants Diedrik Omeyer and Martin Thori designed this home built in 1889. Omeyer and Thori designed a number of other structures currently on the National Register of Historic Places, including courthouses, seminaries, and churches throughout Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Montana. The first owner was Rudolf Ertl, a North Side clothier who had a store near Plymouth and North Washington Avenues...just one of the many neighborhood residents to own or work at local businesses. Now a duplex, the home was originally a single-family dwelling.


ARCHITECTURE
Built toward the end of Minneapolis' "golden age" (late 1870s to 1893), this is one of the most intricately detailed houses in a neighborhood filled with intricate detailing. The double-door front entrance Fred Neet mentions below is especially unique; paired doors liked these were unusual for this area.

Historian Fred Neet's description of the Queen Anne, Eastlake Stick style home: “The 2½ story clapboarded Ertl House features a triple gable front with a pedimented porch entry, asymmetrically placed forming an uneven roof line. Gables and pediment are inset with patterned wood shingles, complemented by a shingled belt course. Heavy turned spindle supports and brackets decorate the full-width porch. The dominant front window has small, arched transoms with exaggerated surrounds and spindle pilasters. This is repeated on the second story, directly below a smaller rectangular window flanked by fan lights. The double door is decoratively carved. The projecting front gable also features elaborate window surrounds plus carved brackets. The south-facing gable is complementary, with carved barge boards and triple arched windows atop a cutaway bay with carved brackets. The obscured north-facing gable appears to be similar. The plain, large carriage barn is intact." (Neet, "Local Heritage")

Work Cited: Neet, Fred. Local Heritage Preservation Designation Study - Rudolph Ertl House. Rep. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, 1986. Print.

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