Historic Floorplans
I recently bought an older home in Congdon. Nothing special, but I like it. The previous owner made many changes to the interior in a misguided attempt to modernize the home. I am thinking about restoring it to its former layout, but I’m not finding much historic information about the home. Does anyone have any ideas on where I might get some information? The home is likely an American Foursquare that had some arts and crafts touches. Thanks for any help!
A few years ago, I was able to find the original permit filing for my house at city hall in the permit office; this included the floor plans. My house was built in the 1930s, so perhaps there’s hope for yours?
The top advice on PDD’s Facebook thread on this subject is to visit Duluth City Hall, where the building permit office has microfiche files listed by address that include permits for wiring, plumbing, additions, and sometimes the house’s original blueprints.
Other advice:
Ask retired banker Dennis Lamkin, who is an interior design consultant in Duluth with a lot of experience in interior design.
Look through old catalogs online to determine if the house was originally a Sears, Aladdin or some other type of kit house.
Contact UMD library archives.
Stop in at the Duluth Public Main Library’s reference desk! We might be able to help. In the meantime, here is a link to some resources.