Jonathan Taylor Grimes House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jonathan Taylor Grimes House
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 4200 W. 44th Street, Edina, Minnesota |
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| Built | 1869 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001056 |
| Added to NRHP | March 16, 1976 |
The Jonathan Taylor Grimes House is a very old and important home located in Edina, Minnesota. It was built in 1869 and is known for its unique style. This house is special because it belonged to Jonathan Taylor Grimes, an early settler and a pioneer in growing plants.
Contents
A Look at the Grimes House
This house was built in 1869. It looks like it was inspired by a book called The Architecture of Country Houses by Andrew Jackson Downing. The house is a 1½-story cottage, meaning it has one full floor and a half-story upstairs.
Architectural Style
The Grimes House has a special style called Gothic Revival. You can see this in its steeply sloped roofs and pointed windows on the second floor. It also has some Italianate features, like a small front porch and wide roof edges with fancy cut-out designs.
The house has intersecting gable roofs, which means the roof sections cross each other. It also features dormers (windows that stick out from the roof), a bay window (a window that extends outwards from the main walls), and a simple front porch. In 1976, this historic house was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important place in American history.
Who Was Jonathan Taylor Grimes?
Jonathan Taylor Grimes was an early settler in the Edina area. He was also a pioneer horticulturist, which means he was an expert in growing plants and gardens.
Early Life and Move to Minnesota
Grimes was born in Leesburg, Virginia, in 1818. He moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1840. In 1843, he married Eliza Angeline Gordon.
In 1854, Jonathan and Eliza, along with their three young children, moved to Saint Anthony, Minnesota. This was a big move for their family.
Land and the Edina Mill
In 1859, Grimes and his partner, William Rheem, bought 160 acres of land. This land was in what was then Richfield Township. It included a mill on Minnehaha Creek called the Waterville Mill.
This mill later became known by different names, including the Buckwater Mill and the Browndale Mill. Finally, it was called the Edina Mill. Grimes later bought another 160 acres of land near the mill. This is where he built his house in 1869.
Contributions to Horticulture
In 1867, Grimes and Rheem sold the mill. After that, Grimes became the first president of the Minnesota Horticultural Society. He loved to experiment with different plants and crops.
Grimes is famous for bringing new trees to Minnesota. He was responsible for introducing ginkgo and catalpa trees to the state. These trees are now common in Minnesota.
The Grimes Family Legacy
Eliza Grimes passed away in 1902, and Jonathan died in 1903. After his death, their large farm was divided into smaller plots of land.
Morningside Area
This land became the Morningside area. Morningside was a "streetcar suburb," meaning it was a neighborhood built along a streetcar line. This made it easy for people to travel to the city.
Morningside separated from Edina in 1920 but rejoined Edina in 1966. Today, Grimes Avenue in Edina is named after Jonathan Taylor Grimes. Alden Drive is named after his son, Alden.
