November’s SAP Architecture and History presentation focuses on the life and work of neighborhood builder Charles J. Buell. Buell’s early jobs were in education, first as a teacher in his home state of New York and then in Minneapolis, where he settled in the mid-1880s. Although important, teaching was probably not as lucrative a career as construction, especially in the rapidly-growing Twin Cities of the 1880s, and Buell took on a number of residential projects during this decade.

Starting with his own home on Franklin Avenue, Buell built a handful of houses in Minneapolis before connecting with the St. Anthony Park Company and its late-1880s projects in their garden suburb. Buell built about two dozen homes in the neighborhood’s early years, often working with developer W. W. Clark. Among those houses are two that he built for himself, standing next to each other on Knapp. By the early twentieth century, Buell’s focus shifted to large residential development projects in the Summit-University and Merriam Park neighborhoods, where dozens of his houses still stand. He accomplished all of this while establishing himself as a fixture in local politics.

Unable to attend in person? View the presentation live online, with a recording available for about one week following. Use the SAPLC YouTube channel at bit.ly/Sap-history. You can also get to the church’s YouTube channel by clicking through from saplc.org to Weekly Worship under the worship tab, and then to the livestream link for services and other events.

Presentations are still free, but please consider supporting program expenses with the in-person or online tip jar. Many thanks!