Plummer House (Rochester, Minnesota) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Henry S. Plummer House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Plummer House front side
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1091 Plummer Lane, Rochester, Minnesota |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Henry S. Plummer |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001002 |
| Added to NRHP | May 21, 1975 |
The Plummer House is a famous old mansion in Rochester, Minnesota. It used to be the home of Dr. Henry Stanley Plummer and his wife, Daisy Berkman Plummer. This amazing house, also known as the Henry S. Plummer House, was built in the English Tudor style. It was part of a huge estate that had a greenhouse, a water tower, a garage, and even a gazebo.
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Discovering the Plummer House
Dr. Henry Stanley Plummer was a very important partner and founder of the Mayo Clinic. He worked closely with the architects to design his home. The Plummer House was built in 1924 and was very modern for its time.
Cool Features of the House
The house had many amazing features that were new back then. Imagine having a central vacuum system to clean up messes! It also had an underground sprinkler system for the gardens. There was an intercommunications system, like an early intercom, to talk between rooms. A dumbwaiter helped move food or items between floors.
The house even had a security system and both electricity and gas lighting. It was the first house in Rochester to have a gas furnace. Plus, it had garage door openers, a heated pool, and its own water tower. There were even two secret caves connected to the house and the water tower!
How Big is the Plummer House?
This huge home has five stories and is over 300 feet long. It has 49 rooms, including 10 bathrooms and 9 bedrooms. There's even a ballroom on the third floor! The house also has a pipe organ and 5 fireplaces.
The living space is about 11,000 square feet. If you include the basement, garage, and greenhouse, it's over 20,000 square feet in total. There's also a long underground tunnel, 220 feet long, connecting the main house to a small cottage.
The Plummer Family's Legacy
After Dr. Plummer passed away in 1936, his wife, Daisy, and their two children continued to live in the house until 1969. In 1971, Daisy Plummer and her family made a very generous gift. They gave the house and all its furniture to the Rochester Art Center.
Daisy Plummer wanted her home to be a place for art and music. She hoped it would host music concerts and dance shows. She also wanted artists to create and display their work there. This special gift, along with some money, showed the kind spirit of the Plummer family. The Plummer House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This means it's an important historical site.
The Plummer House Today
Today, Rochester Park and Rec takes care of the Plummer House. They also look after 11 acres of the original estate. The house is now a place you can rent for private events. In the summer, its beautiful gardens are a very popular spot for weddings.
You can see the Plummer House and its water tower from many parts of southwest Rochester. It sits on top of a neighborhood nicknamed Pill Hill. This name comes from the many Mayo doctors who live there.
