212 Thompson, a West St. Paul house built in 1931

212 Thompson and Remnants of the Gladstone School

Thanks to Southview Animal Hospital for their support.

We recently took a Then & Now look at the historic Hurley house in West St. Paul, but it’s not the only historic house that’s for sale right now. 212 Thompson went on the market last week. Built in 1931, the Tudor home itself doesn’t date back to West St. Paul’s founding like the Hurley or Wentworth houses, but it is connected to the old Gladstone School.

The 3,345-square-foot home sits on 2.21 acres and is listed at $750,000.

Residential real estate services serving Minneapolis, St Paul and the Twin Cities Metro. Looking for a Realtor to help you buy, sell or invest?

Gladstone School

In 1887, George Wentworth donated land along Thompson for a new school and named it Gladstone after four-term British Prime Minister William Gladstone. The school was one of five new schools opened in 1888 in what was then South St. Paul and was transferred to the jurisdiction of West St. Paul a year later when the city broke away from South St. Paul.

By 1930, Gladstone School was going to be demolished. Rogers E. George, who owned land across the street, purchased the site for $250. He built the house at 212 Thompson and preserved several elements of Gladstone school, including the foundation, the original well, and the stepstone into the front door. It’s unclear if all of those elements still exist, though the foundation became part of the backyard swimming pool and the stepstone was repurposed into a bench.

Unfortunately, that very bit of history is a compliance issue with the city. The concrete walls of the in-ground pool have twice been cited for code violations and will need to be corrected.

The Gladstone School foundation repurposed as a swimming pool at 212 Thompson (Photo credit: Dakota County Historical Society)

We need your help to share local history. Support West St. Paul Reader.

TAGS

RELATED

Nancee Parkinson
History

West St. Paul’s Miss Minnesota 1961

On June 5, 1961, West St. Paul teen Nancee Parkinson was crowned Miss Minnesota. The 18-year-old was named fourth runner-up in the Miss America pageant and went on to be a teacher, spokesperson, and had a short career in Hollywood.

West St. Paul Rider photo by Jeannine Pohl
Events

Sixth Annual Community Bike Ride

More than 120 people joined the sixth annual West St. Paul Rider community bike ride this weekend. The festivities included artwork, donuts, and free stickers and magnets for participants.

Carolyn Swiszcz and Bob Payton after their performance of the "West St. Paul" song.
Photo of the Week

“West St. Paul” Song

With a rainbow in the background, Carolyn Swiszcz and Bob Payton pose for photos fresh off their performance of the “West St. Paul” song at Explore West St. Paul Days.

One Response

  1. Good work, Kevin, The medical clinic on Wentworth is or was called the Gladstone Medical Clinic when it open in the 60’s

Leave a Reply

Discover more from West St. Paul Reader

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading