The block of Charles Avenue between Dale and Kent streets has one of the largest groups of original Victorian workingmen’s cottages left in Saint Paul. Old city directories show that many were homes to area railroad and railroad-related industry workers. Many of these homes date from the 1880s and 1890s.
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This large wood frame multi-family dwelling dates from 1879. Its Victorian style and details including a tower and distinctive roofline, as well as window details, make it stand out on a block with several well-preserved homes. It is next to a well-preserved duplex at 510-512 Charles Avenue.
]]>Sherburne Avenue between Rice and Dale streets has many older homes and converted neighborhood commercial buildings, some with unique details including ornate brickwork, towers, gingerbread trim, spooncarved details, turrets, bay windows and rounded windows. A wide range of architectural styles can be seen.
Although some houses have been lost to University Avenue business encroachment, many interesting homes remain. One example is 233 Sherburne Ave. Built in 1894 the Colonial style dwelling is known as the N.J. Sonner House. It was built as a single-family home but was later divided into multiple units.
Also note the William Andres House (259 Sherburne Ave.), the Louisa Ramaley House (277 Sherburne Ave.), the Skuhlman and Timm house (419 Sherburne Ave.) and the Ferdinand Schaubschaeger House (538 Sherburne Ave.)
Further down, at 566 and 568 Sherburne Ave. are two Victorian homes with much of their porch detail intact, at 566 Sherburne (Herman Maas House) and 568 Sherburne Ave. Note how close these houses are. Frogtown residential lots are often tiny, so builders tried to get as much structure onto the lot as they could.
]]>Neighborhood growth radiated from downtown, with most of the growth to the west and north. Many of the earliest dwellings were single-family homes or duplexes. Small corner stores, taverns and other businesses, most of which have been converted to housing uses, were scattered throughout the community.
One prominent developer, Canada native Benjamin Lafond, platted Lafond’s Addition in 1857, including Lafond Avenue, Lake Street (now Blair Avenue) and Bluff Street (now Van Buren). Many histories incorrectly state that Thomas, Edmund, Charles, and Ellen (now Sherburne) avenues were named for Lafond family members. Historian Don Empson said those streets were platted by other earlier developers. Other developers included the Rice family, who platted Edmund, Charles and Ellen avenues. Those were named for Rice family members. Thomas was name for Thomas Stinson. The Stinsons owned and developed much property in Saint Paul.
The first houses were a mix of wood frame or brick construction. The area between Rice and Dale Streets saw the most growth and development during the 1880s, with working-class homes interspersed with small businesses, duplexes and a few multi-family dwellings.
A trip through this area reveals many existing Victorian-era working-class homes, with detailed window openings, porches, and trim. Many blocks have small lots. But the difference between Frogtown and other working-class neighborhoods is that the houses on many blocks have different architectural styles and not as much of a cookie-cutter look.
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