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Fairlawn, Meteor nominated to Superior's historic registry

Two of Superior's public museums have been nominated for their cultural and architectural significance to the city.

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The SS Meteor could be added to the Local Register of Historic Places.
Jed Carlson / Telegram file

SUPERIOR — Fairlawn Mansion and the SS Meteor could soon be among the places listed on the Local Registry of Historic Places.

The Superior Historic Preservation Commission is recommending the city council consider adding two of the three city-owned museums to the list of historic properties for recognition. Both already have a place on the state and national registries.

The SS Meteor, christened as the Frank Rockefeller, is recognized as historically significant as an invention that contributed to commerce, industry and transportation. It is the last of 44 whaleback ships built by American Steel Barge Co. based on Alexander McDougall’s fish-like ship design.

Fairlawn Mansion is representative of American Queen Anne building tradition. It once served as the home of Martin Pattison, a lumber and mining baron, banker, politician and philanthropist. Pattison served as Superior’s second and eighth mayor.

“Fundamentally, what makes those sites culturally historic certainly hasn’t changed,” said Jeff Skrenes, Superior housing coordinator. “What makes them architecturally significant has not changed.”

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When work to submit the applications began, Skrenes said it was thought Superior’s public museums would be the first properties included on the local register. However, he said individuals came forward to have their properties listed sooner.

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Fairlawn Mansion, which overlooks Barker's Island, is one of the Superior museums nominated for the local historic registry.
Jed Carlson / Telegram file

Last year, the owners of 1011 Weeks Ave. applied and were granted a place on the local register, and this year, Councilor Brent Fennessey applied to have his Central Park home included. Those applications and work to determine how to spend $3.5 million allocated for historic preservation delayed the applications for the city museums, Skrenes said.

“We’ll do the fire hall sometime before the end of the year as well, but these two were ready to go sooner,” Skrenes said.

The application for the Old Firehouse and Police Museum is more challenging because some of the window repair has not been done to historic standards, Skrenes said, but that doesn’t necessarily impact the historic value of the building.

The historic preservation committee plans to meet with the Superior Public Museums board before the matter goes to the city council for a public hearing on the nomination in September. A date for the public hearing hasn’t been set, but the commission’s recommendation is to set the hearing after Sept. 13. The next council meeting after that date is Sept. 20.

Shelley Nelson is a reporter with the Duluth Media Group since 1997, and has covered Superior and Douglas County communities and government for the Duluth News Tribune from 1999 to 2006, and the Superior Telegram since 2006. Contact her at 715-395-5022 or snelson@superiortelegram.com.

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