Vision: Protect the past and inspire the future
Mission: Being stewards of our historic places by advocating for the past. Offering education and sustainable solutions to the Duluth area community.
Values: Education + Stewardship + Vision + Community
We are a passionate group of Duluthians who want to see our Minnesota city grow. Duluth’s historic architecture is a substantial part of our heritage and Duluth has an extraordinary sense of place. The DPA is a partner in Duluth’s growth: we share our knowledge with developers and community leaders. By enhancing our community’s architectural heritage, we make Duluth a more enjoyable place.
We’re here for Duluth.
The Story Behind Our Logo
We exist to prevent our important heritage from disappearing. The beautiful and ornate D. Clint Prescott fit the bill. In 1888, D. Clint Prescott, secretary and general manager of the Marinette Iron Works Company, built this home for himself on 54th Avenue West in Duluth on the SW corner of 8th Street.
Sadly, it was razed in 1946.
As described in Duluth’s Legacy, Vol. 1, the three-story home was a carnival of dormers and gables, porches and verandas carving and spindles, chimneys and towers, barge boards and lattices and gaily-dressed lightning rods. Nowhere around the house could the observer find a moment of visual rest. The home had intricately carved wood, even in the closets. One of the showpieces was the carved stairway that would up to the third floor ballroom.
The home was little occupied, however. The Prescotts left Duluth in the ’90s and for some time, the house was occupied by Hansen EveSmith, who was connected with the Duluth, Mesabi and Northern railway. He vacated it about the turn of the century and it was occupied only occasionally after that. Through the 1930s and 40s, it was never occupied and became known as “the haunted house,” a designation that didn’t help its rentability.
Mr. and Mrs. Elmer J. Woelffer purchased the deserted place in 1945 for $1,500 from the county. They tore it down and used the wood to build their home on Highway 61 coming into Duluth at Rest Point and their tourist cabins. They had three of the old fireplaces in their new home and two others in their cabins.
The old Prescott carriage house has been remodeled into a residence.
While the house no longer exists, it lives on as an inspiration to enhance the past for us all.
DPA Officers
- Blake Romenesko – President email
- Brandon Hartung – Vice President email
- Peter Lee – Treasurer email
- Patrice Bradley – Secretary email
Board Members
- Robert Berg email
- Sandy Burgstahler email
- Sheryl Homan email
- Mike Poupore email
- Jessica Fortney Glander email
Want to join the Duluth Preservation Alliance Board of Directors?
Contact Blake Romenesko for more information.
DPA Articles of Incorporation – Amended
Members of the DPA can request board meeting minutes or financial statements.
Please send an email with your request.
Board of Directors Login
Note: Board of Director meetings are held on the first Monday of each month except in July.