Out of the Past: June Burd House History Collection

On June 6th a crowd of thousands gathered in the northeast corner of Lake of the Isles to witness the fifth annual sharpening of the giant Loti pencil. I was amongst that crowd, and while I was excited to participate in this weird little niche of Minnesota history, I had an ulterior motive for being there: I wanted to see the house directly next door. Somewhat nondescriptly nestled amongst the trees stands the Charles F. Keyes House, staring peacefully over sweeping lawns towards the lake. Built in 1904, this home was granted historical status in 1998 thanks to the avid efforts of one of the home’s longtime residents, June Burd. 

An avid architectural historian, June dedicated her life to researching the history of the Keyes house and the surrounding neighborhood. I have spent the better part of the last year processing the collection of June’s papers– research notes, newspapers and articles, photographs and all other manner of documents– donated to Hennepin History Museum upon her passing in 2014. I never met June, but spending so much time organizing her somewhat eccentric documents gave me an appreciation for the fierce drive with which she researched her home and advocated for its historical recognition and preservation. 

Built in 1904, the architecture of the home is what gives this building historical status, as it is a beautifully preserved example of early 20th century craftsman style design and the transition from the Queen Anne style. An extensive amount of materials in the collection are dedicated to Adam Lansing Dorr, the architect who designed the home. Dorr’s specialty was residential homes, but there are some churches and other buildings in the area that he designed. In addition to compiling lists of Dorr’s designs around Minneapolis, June was interested in the biography of the man himself, having tracked down his 1928 obituary, and somehow obtained a copy of his last will and testament. In a testament to her determination to discover as much as she could, June made attempts to find and contact Dorr’s descendants, writing to libraries and universities for leads on possible Dorr family members, then making phone calls and letters politely inquiring of these possible family members whether they could answer any questions about their ancestor’s life and work. She kept all of these communications – both successes and failures to connect – documented in her papers. In one case, June and the Dorr family members, now living in California, remained friendly enough to exchange holiday cards for a few years, which are also included in the collection.  

June’s research on the Keyes family, the first family to live in the home, includes photographs, newspaper clippings, and city reports from Charles Keyes’ career as a lawyer and civil engineer, including his unsuccessful run for mayor in 1933. There is a several-page typewritten report titled “Memories of our Mother,” an account by Charles’ grandchildren remembering their mother, Charles’ daughter Marjorie, and her life after she grew up and left the Keyes house. All of this culminated in an extensive report about the historical value of the Keyes house— drafts, revisions, and the final product of the report are recorded here. This report was key to granting the house historic status, and is cited in the City of Minneapolis webpage overview of the Keyes House. This may be one of the few public acknowledgments of June’s advocacy.  

June’s interest expanded to the greater Lake of the Isles neighborhood, and others such as Loring Park, Lowry Hill, and downtown. There are heaps of newspapers describing the comings and goings of buildings– when a new one was being built, or the circumstances of its demolition, destruction, or repurposing. In some cases the buildings moved, as with a collection of papers describing the moving of the Stevens House by schoolchildren, once in 1896 and again in 1983. Other papers show what it takes to assess and determine the historical value of a house or entire neighborhood, with papers researching the process of evaluating neighborhoods such as St. Anthony Falls and Washburn-Fair Oaks. Scattered through this collection is evidence of June’s efforts to preserve these neighborhoods in defiance of real estate developers, with letters urging them to avoid demolishing certain areas that had not yet been given historic status, but which nonetheless held historic value.  

Beyond A.L. Dorr, the Keyes House, and historic neighborhoods, some items in the collection stand on their own as part of general Hennepin County historical interest. For instance, an entire box is dedicated to the Bloomington Ferry Bridge over the Minnesota River. These materials seemed to have belonged to one of the engineers that contributed to building it, one Tenner Tangen, as there are extensive records relating to the planning, maintenance, and eventual demolition of the bridge during the 1970s and 80s. There are handwritten engineering calculations, pricing invoices, inspection reports, and correspondence between the various agencies responsible, such as the US Department of Transportation, the United States Coast Guard, and the Department of Public Works. It is again a mystery as to how June got her hands on these materials, but it is no mystery to see why she was fascinated by them– these documents provide as detailed a history as one can get about the creation, life and destruction of a piece of public infrastructure.  

 

June and her husband Leo sold the Keyes house in 2011. They both passed away in 2014. In 2022, the house was listed again for $3.38 Million. An article in the Star Tribune describes the remodeling that took place; the historical status of the house prohibited changes to any part of the exterior house visible from the street. The interior, however, was extensively remodeled to match a more modern sensibility. I can’t claim to know how June would have felt about these interior changes, but I do know she would have avidly collected the newspaper articles describing them.  

If you are interested in architectural history, you have something in common with and something to learn from June Burd. Here is a rich collection showcasing the depth of research one can perform in a lifetime, and what it takes to pursue historical designation of a building. While June’s interest concentrated on a few neighborhoods, it would be great if every part of the city had someone so dedicated to learning as much as they could about the buildings within it. Come check out this collection, and maybe it will spark a deeper curiosity about the buildings you pass by every day on the streets of Minneapolis.  

Written by Jane Peña, Hennepin History Museum archives volunteer.

Sources  

City of Minneapolis. Keyes House. Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED). Retrieved 5 June 2026 from https://www.minneapolismn.gov/resident-services/property-housing/preservation/landmarks-districts/landmarks/charles-frederick-keyes-house/ 

 Ngo, Nancy. “Minneapolis home with Zen vibe on market for a cool 3.38 Million.” Star Tribune, January 3 2022.