|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Woodbine Cottage & Experimental Rammed Earth Wall
Woodbine Cottage, built in 1887 by South Dakota Agricultural College's second president Dr. Lewis McLouth, is a charming example of Queen Anne architecture. Crowned by turn-of-the-century multiple roof lines, it features an oriel window embellished with a tent roof which comprises a corner tower. Circular scrollwork and tooled bargeboard decorate the two gable dormers on the south. Since its construction, the structure has housed the presidents of South Dakota's landgrant college and served brief stints as a women's dormitory, music hall, and infirmary.
A one-story solarium with shed roof flanks the west side of the house. Added in 1932, it features six-light casement windows. Attached to the north wall of the house is a post-World War II addition which serves as a utility room and small kitchen nook. Both additions integrate with the original style of the home. A community restoration effort in 1984 resulted in extensive renovation, including plumbing and electrical improvements Some minor interior changes were made with careful consideration to maintain the original interior integrity. Interior paint schemes and wallpaper coverings provide a Victorian atmosphere.
This outstanding example of patternbook architecture of the 1880's is flanked on the west by a unique rammed earth, or pise de terre, garden-wall. Professors Ralph L. Patty and Henry H. DeLong and their students constructed the wall in 1934 as an agricultural engineering experiment to test this ancient construction technique, which was often employed by European immigrants in Dakota Territory. The 13-1/2 inch-thick tamped earth wall is surfaced with stucco and capped with a concrete sill.
|
|
|
|
