HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 22 - Heritage Award
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 • kcaron@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arthur Erickson House Receives 2014 Heritage Award
Edina, Minn., May 22, 2014 – The City of Edina Heritage Preservation Board (HPB) awarded Brian and
Linda Tell the 2014 Heritage Award for their preservation of the Arthur Erickson House at 5501
Londonderry Road. The Edina Heritage Award is given to individuals, families, companies or organizations that
have made an outstanding contribution to the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and use of Edina’s
heritage resources.
The Arthur Erickson House was built in 1950 through the direction of Architect (Frank) Lloyd Wright Jr.
Arthur Erickson and his brother Alfred commissioned Wright to design two homes on the west side of Edina.
The two ran a petroleum business called Erickson Brothers that eventually grew to become Holiday
Stationstores. The home belonging to Alfred was torn down in 1998, making the preservation of the Arthur
Erickson home even more exceptional.
Wright brought many elements of the outdoors into his design of the home, including indoor, irrigated
planters that line the edge of the house. Each planter is shaped like a triangle, with two of the three sides
serving as floor-to-ceiling windows looking out into the yard. Most of the planters still have the original fica
trees planted by Elsie Erickson in the 1950s. In addition to many windows, the home has a sprawling “Z”
shape that allows each room to have an open and bright feeling.
After Arthur died, his wife, Elsie, continued to live in the home until 1981. Then, Arthur’s nephew, Donovan
Erickson, moved into the home with his wife, Beth. They sold the home in 1996 to the Tells.
“It’s really the way the house was planned on the lot [that makes it so special]. You get all of the winter sun
and limited summer sun and it just works on the lot so perfectly,” explained HPB Member Bob Moore.
The Tells accepted the award at the May 20 City Council Meeting. They have lived in the home since 1996
and have made every effort to preserve the integrity of Wright’s original design.
“I love my home,” said Linda Tell proudly. “The Erickson House, a.k.a. The Tell Home, has given three families
lots of fun memories. Each of us has tried to keep up with the times to bring this beautiful home to the 21st
century, but still keeping with Lloyd Wright Jr.'s natural feeling of the house.”
For more information about the Heritage Award, contact Senior Planner Joyce Repya at 952-826-0462 or
jrepya@EdinaMN.gov.
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