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E. S. Stebbins papers

 Collection
Identifier: N74

Scope and Content Note

The collection includes specifications, correspondence, estimates and photographs for more than 170 residences, churches, court houses, schools and other structures in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. Also included are the original drawings for nearly 40 buildings, including the Crookston Minnesota Public School (1881), Holy Rosary Convent (Minneapolis, 1887), Polk County Court House (Minnesota, 1881), Stryker Seminary (St. Anthony Park Minnesota, 1889) and numerous residences.

Dates

  • Creation: 1881-1911

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Restrictions on Access

Available for use in the Manuscripts Division reading room. Advance notice is requested.

Restrictions on Use

There are no restrictions on the use of materials in this collection. Copies can be requested if the condition of the originals warrants it.

Biographical Sketch for Edward Somerby Stebbins (1854-1934)

Edward Stebbins was born in Boston on February 9, 1854. He moved to Troy, New York, in 1868 and to Saratoga, New York, in 1870, where he worked with architect E.D. Harris and helped to supervise the construction of the Grand Union Hotel. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology until about 1876, worked briefly with McKim, Mead & White, then came to Minneapolis in 1877. He was a partner of George R. Mann, a former classmate at MIT, in 1878-1979, then established a private practice which lasted until 1913 when Robert Haxby entered the firm. In 1920 they were joined by Cyrus Bissell. This partnership remained intact until Stebbins' death in Minneapolis on March 3, 1934. The firm continued under the name Haxby, Bissell, Belair & and Green after Stebbins' death.

Stebbins was the official architect of the Minneapolis Board of Education for more than 10 years, designing many of the city's educational facilities. Some of the schools he designed were: North High School; West High School (1906-1907); Clara Barton, Robert Fulton, Thomas Lowry, and Bryant Elementary Schools. Most of these have been demolished. Stebbins also created the plans for the Nicollet County Court House, St. Peter, Minnesota (1880-1881) with Edward Bassford of St. Paul; the Hutchinson, Minnesota, Public Library (1904); Gethsemane Episcopal Church, Minneapolis (1883); and the S.E. Davis residence, 2104 Kenwood Parkway, Minneapolis (1892), known to millions as the "Mary Tyler Moore house", after the popular television show of the early 1970s.

[For biographical sketch of Cyrus Bissell, see Bissell Belair & Green Papers.]

Biographical Sketch for Robert Van Loan Haxby (1882-1947)

Robert Haxby was born in Garden City, New York, on April 19, 1882. He was educated at Columbia University, where he graduated in 1908. Coming to St. Paul, he worked as a draftsman in the office of Clarence H. Johnston from 1909 to 1911, after which he moved to Minneapolis and joined Edward Stebbins' firm as a draftsman (1911-1913), then became a partner. Haxby remained in the firm until his death in an automobile accident near Casper, Wyoming, on June 22, 1947.

Extent

9 Cubic Feet

Abstract

The collection includes specifications, correspondence, estimates and photographs for more than 170 residences, churches, court houses, schools and other structures in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest. Also included are the original drawings for nearly 40 buildings, including the Crookston Minnesota Public School (1881), Holy Rosary Convent (Minneapolis, 1887), Polk County Court House (Minnesota, 1881), Stryker Seminary (St. Anthony Park Minnesota, 1889) and numerous residences.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in series:

  1. Working Drawings
  2. Specifications
  3. Correspondence
  4. Bills and Receipts

Physical Location

Mezzanine and High Bay

Acquisition

Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Jack W. Kuehn in 1979.

Related Material

See also the Bissell, Belair & Green Papers (N 74a)

Title
E. S. Stebbins Papers
Author
Archives staff
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Collecting Area Details

Contact The Northwest Architectural Archives Collecting Area

Contact:

612-625-3550