I was thrilled to learn that the Wayzata Section Foreman House has officially been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Wayzata Section Foreman House was built in 1902.
The home was originally 32 feet by 16 feet. It had two rooms each on the first and second levels. It cost $750 to build. The 1910 census shows that the home was occupied by the section foreman and his large family.
Through the years, the Section Foreman House underwent several changes, but the integrity of the original home was never diminished. In 1926, electrical lights were installed.
In 1943, the home was lifted to install a concrete foundation and basement. It was at this time that the home expanded; a first-level bedroom and living room increased the structure to 32 feet by 30 feet. A year later, toilet facilities and sewer lines were installed.
Dr. Charles N. Brooks bought the house from the railroad in 1962. The following year, Brooks built a new entrance on the south end complete with a front porch and an expanded living room. The City of Wayzata later acquired the home and has owned the house and the property ever since.
The Section Foreman House now joins the Great Northern Depot in the Historic Register.
The house will be restored and re-purposed into a new lakefront learning center, providing indoor and outdoor classroom and community space.
A new eco park surrounding the Section Foreman house will restore shoreline marsh and improve water quality.
The park includes a pier extension of the boardwalk and opportunities to create “Living Eco-Classrooms” along the lake shore for STEM based learning.
Read the article here.