Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home
Historic house in Minnesota. Added to the National Register in 1968, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
The Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home is a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, United States. From 1889 until 1902 it was the home of young Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951), who would become the most famous American novelist of the 1920s and the first American to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. His most famous book, Main Street, was inspired by the town of Sauk Centre as Lewis perceived it from this home.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Register name | Lewis, Sinclair, Boyhood Home |
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 812 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN |
| County | Stearns County |
| Listed | May 23, 1968 |
| Listed for | Literature |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 68000027 |
| Type of place | house |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 2 buildings |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 812 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, MN |
| Website | sinclairlewisfoundation.com/boyhood_home/boyhood_home.htm ↗ |
| Coordinates | 45.7374° N, 94.9574° W · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | Mississippi National River & Recreation Area · 106 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 5 records ↗
Map
Nearby in Stearns County
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Local history books for Stearns County
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Minnesota
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home listed on the National Register?
May 23, 1968. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home?
Yes. Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home is recorded as open to the public, and hours are on the official website.
Source: Official website
Where is Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home?
812 Sinclair Lewis Ave., Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota. The nearest national park unit is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, 106 miles away.
What does the Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home listing include?
The listing counts 2 contributing resources. Those are 2 buildings. A contributing resource is a part of the listed property that carries its historic significance.
Source: National Park Service
Are there historic photographs or drawings of Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home?
Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.
Source: Library of Congress
Where is the nomination form for Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Is there cell service at Sinclair Lewis Boyhood Home?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 68000027. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.