Elaborate Early Gothic Revival, board-and-batten residence built in 1871 for St. Peter's first mayor.
The E. St. Julien Cox House was built in 1871 by Eugene St. Julien Cox, a prominent citizen, soldier, and politician of his day.
The Cox House was donated to Nicollet County Historical Society and restored before it was reopened to the public as a house museum in 1971. The Cox House is a prime example of a Carpenter Gothic-Italianate Cottage, a combination of styles which were all the rage in the latter half of the nineteenth-century in the cities of the American East but would have stood out for its exuberance and style in 1870s pioneer Minnesota.
The architecture shows vertical board & batten siding, pillars, long windows and cathedral cupolas that lend an imposing look to the structure. The house is as it was on the original blueprint. The wallpaper was matched as closely as possible with the original first layer on the plaster. The woodwork is pine and still shows plane marks - evidence of the use of early tools.
Group tours of 10+ available by appointment. The Cox House is available year-round for a variety of programs and facility rentals. Please call (507) 934-2160 for more information.
