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Edina, Minnesota

PETERSON HOUSE

Rule
 

Paul Peterson HouseThe historic Paul Peterson House, 5312 Interlachen Blvd., was previously included in the City's heritage preservation overlay district on Feb. 2, 1987. In 2002, the Heritage Preservation Board (HPB) recommended re-designation of the Peterson House as an Edina Heritage Landmark pursuant to City Code §850.20 (as amended). The property was rezoned under the revised preservation ordinance on Feb. 4, 2003.

The Peterson House is featured in several publications about Edina heritage, including William W. Scott and Jeffrey A. Hess' History and Architecture of Edina, Minnesota (City of Edina, 1981), and Deborah Morse-Kahn's Chapters in the City History: Edina (City of Edina, 1998).

DESCRIPTION
The historic Paul Peterson House is a frame, 1 and 1/2 story cottage with Eastlake style detailing. It has a compound plan, intersecting gable roofs, a gabled dormer, and an enclosed porch. The walls are finished with clapboard siding. Eastlake style detailing is present in the form of spindled bargeboards, decorative shingle "feathering" in the gables, a bay window, and corner boards. The porch and window treatment have been altered; otherwise, the house is in a good state of preservation.

HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Built ca. 1880, the Peterson House is a notable, well preserved specimen of Late Victorian period domestic architecture. The design of the house is based upon the vernacular Gabled Ell cottage form, but the exterior has been embellished with picturesque ornamentation, obviously inspired by the "Eastlake Revival" of the 1870's-1880's. Contextually, it relates to the theme of rural residential development in Edina. Paul Peterson built this house and lived here with his family for about forty years.

EVALUATION OF LANDMARK ELIGIBILITY
On Sept. 24, 2002, the HPB determined that the Peterson House met the Edina Heritage Landmark eligibility criteria as set forth in City Code §850.20 subd. 2, on the basis of its architectural character. The HPB evaluated the significance of the property within the local historic context "Edina Mills: Agriculture and Rural Life (1857 to 1923)," as outlined in the Edina Historic Context Study (1999), and found that it retained historic integrity of those features necessary to convey its historical and architectural preservation values.