David and Wanda Park House, Bemidji

The David Park House in Bemidji is an outstanding example of residential Streamline Moderne architecture. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The David Park house (1501 Birchmont Drive Northeast) was built in 1936‒37 for the Park family by a young unknown architect named Edward Mahlum in an undeveloped neighborhood on the north end of Bemidji. By choice, it was in a wooded area across from one of the earliest buildings on the campus of the Bemidji State Teachers College. The neighborhood included Diamond Point Park, which was a rustic camping area, and a popular small zoo. Little else, however, existed in the way of residential development. David Park bought the entire block of land, giving him control over the choice of neighbors.

David Park purchased the Koors Brothers Creamery Company in 1926 and converted it to the David Park Creamery and built it into a highly successful business enterprise. He promised his wife that he would eventually build her a fine home. He attended the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, and this exposure to the Art Deco designs (featured in that fair’s theme of “Century of Progress”) likely influenced his choice of Edward K. Mahlum as his architect. He chose a local contractor named Adolph Nasvik to build it. Nasvik was so impressed with the home that he later built a home next door, which some consider complimentary to the Park residence.

The home was featured in Larry Millett’s book Minnesota’s Own: Preserving Our Grand Homes because of its unusual and beautiful design. Viewed from the air, it appears to be in the shape of a piano. The house was built of poured concrete, which was most unusual at a time when most homes in northern Minnesota were built of wood. One of the most remarkable features was a three-story brass railing on the curved staircase. It was necessary to install the railing at an early point in the construction before the house could be closed in around it.

David and Edna Park moved into the house in late 1937. Edna had only a few short years in the house as she died of cancer in 1941. He married Wanda Hartman Batchelder in 1944.

The neighborhood children were fascinated with the house. Each Christmas, the family allowed one of the Park grandchildren to choose the colors for a gigantic Christmas tree that was placed in the front window. In one year it was a white flocked tree with orange lights; in another, it was a purple flocked tree with white lights. Visitors and locals also marveled at one of the home’s inhabitants in particular: “Megaw,” the family’s pet monkey.

David Park was proud of his unique home. His daughters, Margaret and Mary, recalled that he often invited guests to tour the house even though they were already asleep in their rooms. He loved to entertain, and one of his most famous guests was Eleanor Roosevelt. When she visited Bemidji in 1955, Park was shocked to learn that no one had planned a reception for her. As was his custom, he organized an impromptu reception at the house.

Park continued to live in the home until his death in 1977. In 1992, Wanda Park deeded the house to the Bemidji State University Foundation. The building underwent extensive renovations, but workers took care to retain its original interior elements and style. In 2018, it houses the offices of the Foundation and the Alumni Association.