Jewel of the Prairie - Owatonna Architecture

To be perfectly honest I didn't know much about Owatonna when I set out Thursday morning. After a drive down Interstate 35 from Saint Paul I arrived at the Minnesota State Public School for Neglected and Dependent Children. Little did I know that I was about to meet Harvey Ronglien, a very vibrant, positive and energetic man, who lived at the State School from the age for 4 for 11 years. At the age of 4 Harvey's mother was sent to a sanatorium with TB and his father was put in jail in Stillwater. Harvey and his seven siblings were lined up at the courthouse in Appleton, MN and offered in an orphan "firesale". By day's end Harvey and his brother Oscar remained and were sent to the State School in Owatonna. (Check out Harvey's book, A Boy from C-11: Case #9164 for more of his story) Harvey greeted me along with his wife, Max, Lisa Krampitz MainStreet Director with the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, and Nancy Vaillancourt, a local historian.

Harvey and Max have poured an enormous amount of energy into making sure the tale of the State School and its orphans is known and continues to be told. There is a lovely museum which pays tribute to those who walked through the doors. Over the course of its operation, 10,000 children passed through the doors of the State School. This was a full service campus, not only with its own schools, but also a farm, dairy, church services conducted by local ministers , and cemetery where children who died at the State School were buried. It seems that there were some in the community who did not know of the State School's existence until after it closed in 1977. The State then sold the campus to the town of Owatonna which now uses this campus for its town office, council meetings and a number of other service programs.

During lunch I had the opportunity to meet Ken Wilcox who was the bank president for about 20 years. I refer to him as "the" bank president because the bank has changed hands a number of times, but Ken was steadfast in the continued use of the bank that Carl Bennett built. As a side note Ken is actively involved with the Owatonna Foundation.

Yes, the bank I am referring to is the Louis Sullivan bank built 1907-08. My heart almost stopped beating at we parked on the town square, but truthfully I thought I was going to have a heart-attack when Lisa opened the door and the splendours of the interior were revealed.

As a high school junior I know that Mrs. Sittenfeld did her very best to convey the glory of Louis Sullivan's designs to a classroom full of antsy teenagers. Professor Laing did her best to do the same for this one time college freshman. However, nothing compares to the first time you walk through that door. I didn't know where to look first. Somehow pictures do not seem to do the interior justice, so I will let you experience these glories first-hand! Ken knows everything about the renovations and expansions of the last 20 years. He is still very involved in this part of bank operations although he is officially retired from the bank. He is full of stories and discoveries, make sure you don't miss the basement!

The rest of the afternoon involved a stop at the Federated Insurance building and some private residences in the neighborhood within walking distance of downtown Owatonna. This was a delightful day. Lisa and her team have put together a top notch field session and I encourage you to make the trip to Owatonna!

~Charlotte