Four more South Dakota properties were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, according to the South Dakota State Historical Society.
The listed properties are the Gottlieb and Friederike Scheurenbrand House and the Louis N. and Helen Seaman House in Mitchell, the Celina and Albert Goddard House in Pierre, and St. Paul Lutheran Church located between Richland and Elk Point in Union County.
The National Register is the official federal list of properties identified as important in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. The State Historic Preservation Office of the State Historical Society works in conjunction with the National Park Service, which oversees the National Register program, to list the properties.
"South Dakota's history is rich in American Indian culture, pioneer life and change," said Jay D. Vogt, state historic preservation officer and director of the State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. "The more than 1,300 state individual properties and districts listed on the National Register are important for their role in South Dakota's culture, heritage and history. And when properties get listed, it shows that their owners take pride in their role in preserving that culture, heritage and history."
Buildings, sites, structures and objects at least 50 years old possessing historical significance may qualify for the National Register, according to Vogt. Properties must also maintain their historic location, design, materials and association. Listing on the National Register does not place any limitations on private property owners by the federal government.
Following is more information about these newly listed properties.
Scheurenbrand House, Mitchell
The Gottlieb and Friederike Scheurenbrand House, built in 1906, is located at 700 E. Hanson St. in Mitchell. It is listed in the National Register for its significance on the local level in the areas of architecture and engineering.
For South Dakota architecture, the house is an important example of the late work of prominent architect Wallace L. Dow. It is one of the earliest and best residential examples of the use of the perfection block method of concrete construction patented by Dow and manufactured in the new concrete block factory established by mason and builder Gottlieb Scheurenbrand.
Under engineering, the house is a significant example of the technological innovations in building materials with which Dow and Scheurenbrand were exploring in those years. The variety of blocks used and the quality of architectural design indicate that Scheurenbrand and Dow saw the house as a showpiece for these methods.
Dow died in 1911, only five years after receiving the patent for his Perfection Power Block Machine. The Scheurenbrand House is one of the few buildings that Dow was able to design and construct with these innovative methods before his death.
Seaman House, Mitchell
The Louis N. and Helen Seaman House was constructed at 300 E. Third St. in Mitchell in 1887. It is listed in the National Register for its significant architecture at the local level. The house is an example of the Queen Anne style of architecture blended with elements of the Eastlake style.
The home retains significantly high integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. It has kept nearly all of its original woodwork details, particularly in the detailed and varied exterior wall surfaces, at the porch and throughout the interior.
Goddard House, Pierre
Located at 111 S. Van Buren Ave. in Pierre, the Celina and Albert Goddard House was built in 1908. The house is listed in the National Register for architecture as a good local example of residential concrete block construction executed in the bungalow form. Relatively few concrete block houses remain in Pierre, and the Goddard House is one of the best examples of this style.
The most interesting feature of the Goddard House is the use of smooth, or “dressed,” concrete blocks with slightly rounded corners. Similar blocks are not found on other houses in town. Concrete blocks on other residences are more ornamental, resembling rough-cut stone with a “rock face.”
St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union County
St. Paul Lutheran Church is a two-story brick church constructed between 1920 and 1922 in rural Union County near Richland and Elk Point. The long-existing cemetery is across the road to the east of the church. The church and cemetery both retain excellent integrity of location, setting, materials, design, workmanship, feeling and association.
The property is listed in the National Register as architecturally significant as an excellent example of a Gothic Revival style church building in rural South Dakota.
For more information on the National Register or other historic preservation programs, contact the State Historic Preservation Office at the Cultural Heritage Center, 900 Governors Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2217; telephone 605-773-3458 or website history.sd.gov/Preservation (click on National Register of Historic Places in the right column).
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call 605-773-3458 or visit history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call 605-394-1936 for more information.
