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[Sarah Scrimshaw] We're standing in front of 516 Summit, a little
gem of a house that was built for a member of the Butler family.
A family known locally for Butler Brothers Construction among many
other things built the Minnesota State Capitol. This house was
finished in 1914. So if you're tracking, the year after the
University Club, that first building we saw today, this house considered
being Italian Renaissance style, a style which is very closely related
to the Italian villa style we just saw at the Burbank Livingston Griggs
House. Take a moment and see if you can spot any details of the Italian
styles. I'll give you a hint. Take a look at the roof and you should see
two features. The low pitch roofline and the decorative brackets, both of
which were introduced in our previous stop. A new feature and a great word
for Scrabble players are the decorative white stone pieces you see wrapping
around the corners of the house. They're called quoins, spelled q-u-o-i-n-s.
The yellow color of the brick, a more romantic color not seen very often on
Summit Avenue, has caused at least one person to nickname this house, "The
Lemon Meringue House." For a brief time in 1917, author Sinclair Lewis
actually lived in this house. Rumor had it that he was working on a book
on James J. Hill, but that book was never completed. Saint Paul is actually
one of the many towns that has claimed to be a fictional zenith and Lewis'
work Babbitt. Now, Sinclair Lewis is not the only literary connection to
Summit Avenue. F. Scott Fitzgerald had ties you'd be hearing more about
in a bit as did the 1930s screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart. In more modern
times, the Summit Avenue neighborhood has been home to playwright August
Wilson, Minnesota author Patricia Hampl, and author and radio personality Garrison
Keillor. Well, it's time to move on to our next stop. Enjoy the variety of styles
of houses and apartments on your way. I'll meet you at 590 Summit Avenue.
Press on to track 5.