This Home for the Poor was Converted into Apartments in the 1980s

Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged, Minneapolis Minnesota

Date added: January 08, 2025

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The Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged is one of the few buildings designed by the Minneapolis architect Frederick G. Corser which is still extant and has not undergone substantial alteration. The Home is a good example of Corser's work because it is a well-proportioned building with simple detailing.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order dedicated to serving the poor, came to Minneapolis in 1889 to build and support a home for the aged. A three-and-one-half-story yellow brick building with attached chapel was designed by Corser in 1895 and constructed on Broadway Avenue between Second and Third Streets, Northeast. The design reflects Corser's concern with building a functional and safe home for the elderly. Nonflammable materials were used wherever possible throughout the building.

The aesthetic quality of the exterior depends on scale and proportion rather than ornamentation. Decorative detailing on the building is precise and restrained. While other architects of his time were interested in developing a national style of architecture, Corser, who was editor of The Western Architect, spoke out against designers who concerned themselves more with decoration and style than the functional elements of a building. Corser has been described as "a prime mover in the attempt to place the practice of architecture on a sound, rational, ethical and professional basis in Minneapolis."

By 1905, more space was required, and a large wing was designed by Corser and added to the east side of the main axis. This addition reflects the same design elements as the original building. In 1914, the west wing was added. Although it was designed by another architect, the west wing is almost identical to the east wing designed by Corser. The result is a well-proportioned and symmetrical building.

The Home for the Aged was maintained by the Little Sisters of the Poor for 82 years with gifts and financial support from the Minneapolis Community. In June of 1977, the Sisters and their patients moved into a newly built home located in St. Paul. The old home had outlived its use as a home for the elderly. More modern facilities were required by state and city codes.

The building complex, including the Home itself, a laundry building, and a carriage house/garage, was purchased by the Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Morris O. Kloster and Jon E. Dickerson have formed a partnership which has contracted to purchase the complex for the purpose of adapting and renovating the buildings as multi-family residences, and preserving them as a useful part of the community.

The old building, on Broadway Street Northeast between Second and Third Avenues, was renovated into a 71-unit apartment complex.

Site Description

The Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged is a complex of yellow brick buildings located on Broadway Avenue between Second and Third Streets, Northeast.

The complex includes the following buildings: a three-and-one-half-story main building (which once provided the living area for the Little Sisters of the Poor and their elderly patients) and an attached chapel; a two-story laundry building joined to the north end of the east wing of the main building by an enclosed corridor; and a carriage house/garage facility located to the north of the main building.

The E-shaped main building was constructed in three stages. The three and one-half story central axis (112' x 54') and attached chapel (76' x 32') designed in 1895 by Frederick G. Corser comprised the original Home for the Aged. The construction is wood frame with yellow brick exterior and limestone foundation.

In 1905, Corser built the three-and-one-half-story east wing (100' x 36') to provide more living space for the elderly poor. This addition repeats the design elements of the original building. The elevation, materials used, and type of construction are the same.

The west wing (120' x 36') was designed by another architectural firm, Kees and Colburn, in 1914. This addition was constructed of steel, brick, and tile, but Corser's design and use of materials was faithfully repeated on the exterior which resulted in a well-proportioned and unified building.

The main door is centrally located on the main axis, facing Broadway Avenue. The first and second-story windows on the main axis and two wings are arched. On the third story, the windows are rectangular. Dormer windows punctuate the gable roof along the main axis and wings. A small, centrally placed gable is located directly above the front entrance. Romanesque detailing is found in the parapet roof line and double-arched windows of the gable ends on each wing. Cupola/vents adorn the roof of the main axis and west wing.

The chapel, built onto the rear of the main axis, is five bays in length with a rectangular apse. It stands two stories in height and features stained glass windows along its length.

The original laundry facility was replaced in 1920 by the present two-story yellow brick building measuring 48' x 38'. The roof is hipped and features four dormers.

The brick carriage house was built about 1914. It is two stories in height and measures 60' x 26'. It appears to have been built in two stages and has been altered by the addition of modern garage doors.

The original yellow brick and wrought iron fence is still extant and runs along three sides of the building complex.