Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Turnblad Mansion, Minneapolis

14131041495_0a7224869f_z
Turnblad Mansion Gargoyle. Photo by the American Swedish Institute via Flickr [Creative Commons].

I belong to a wonderful group on Facebook called Mansions of the Gilded Age. Last month, I asked some of my fellow group members whether they knew of any gargoyles on Gilded Age homes. They came back with quite a few great examples, including the Turnblad Mansion in Minneapolis. Commissioned by Swedish-born newspaper publisher Swan Turnblad and his wife Christina in 1903, the house was designed by architects Christopher Boehme and Victor Cordella in the Chateauesque style. Popular in America and Canada at the time, Chateauesque got its name from the French country homes it emulated.

Always keen to honor their homeland, the Turnblads donated the mansion to the  American Swedish Institute in 1929; it is unclear whether they were also the institute’s founders. The American Swedish Institute still operates in the Turnblad Mansion and other buildings today, with a mission “to share experiences around themes of culture, migration, the environment and the arts, informed by enduring links to Sweden”.

The Turnblad Mansion is home to several true gargoyles (as opposed to non-functional grotesques). It appears that the creature shown above was pressed into service as the ring bearer at a wedding held in the mansion. In the  exterior view of this Swedish-American answer to Cinderella’s castle, you can see the profiles of several other gargoyles projecting from the corners of the front and side porticos.

Sources: “Swan Turnblad”, Wikipedia.org, accessed 5/29/16. “American Swedish Institute”, Wikipedia.org, accessed 5/29/16. “Turnblad Mansion”, American Swedish Institute, accessed 5/29/16.

So many thanks to Mansions of the Gilded Age TJ Bren for introducing me to this beautiful house and gargoyles!

7883341468_050d48b0bc_z
Exterior of the Turnblad Mansion, Minneapolis. Photo by the American Swedish Institute via Flickr [Creative Commons].

 


Art in your inbox

Be the first to hear about new posts, handbooks, discounts, and more.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

If approved, your comment and name will be displayed publicly. Please see the comment policy.

3 responses to “Gargoyles and Grotesques of the Turnblad Mansion, Minneapolis”

  1. Belinda O

    As a native of Minnesota, I’ve seen this house, but never the gargoyles before! I love the ring bearer story! Thank you!

    1. ascholarlyskater

      I’m glad you liked it. I’m not exactly sure what the deal is with the rings, to be honest, but the photo was on the ASI’s Flickr account alongside a bunch of wedding photos, so it was an educated guess.

      1. Belinda O

        I’ll trust your judgment and education, and keep that in mind should the occasion ever arise to quote you!

Welcome

The mission of A Scholarly Skater Art History is to make historical art and architecture accessible to everyone.
I’m Alexandra, an art historian who believes that looking at art can enrich everyone’s life. Welcome to my website!
About me

Be the first to hear about new posts, handbooks, discounts, and more.

An important note

Art history is an inherently subjective field, and my perspective isn’t the only one. I encourage all my readers to seek out differing opinions and read multiple sources to get a broader and more complete view of this complex and fascinating field of study. Read my disclaimers for more information.

Advertisement

ArtHerstory advertisement

School for Art Lovers