Overview

The Menage Cottage is a rare example of an intact Gothic Revival style frame house in Minneapolis.  

• Location: 1808-10 4th Avenue South
• Neighborhood: Stevens Square

Historic profile

The Menage Cottage is a rare example of an intact Gothic Revival style frame house in Minneapolis. 

Louis Menage financed the cottage in 1878 and likely did not live here. Menage was one of Minneapolis’ most successful real estate developers. He contributed to the development of suburban land to the west of the city in the 1870s and 1880s. He also developed property in the downtown district, including the Metropolitan Building (razed in 1961). 

The cottage is distinctive among its neighboring buildings. Gothic Revival was not a common residential style in the city, and few have survived over time. It is 1.5 stories tall and has a steeply pitched roof with multiple gables. The asymmetrical façade is plain with little ornamentation. Brackets on the open porch’s posts and bargeboard in the gable ends also provide some decoration.  

The cottage was converted into a duplex in 1907. A second entrance was added to the front and an open porch was built in the rear. The home was originally located at 715 14th Street East, but it was moved to 1808-1810 4th Avenue South in 1982.