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Waldemar Ager
purchased this Victorian cottage in 1903, a few years after
Eau Claire craftsman Brady Anderson built it. It
stood at the corner of Chestnut and Whipple streets, across
from the grounds of Luther Hospital, along the shores of Halfmoon
Lake. Ager and wife Gurolle raised nine children there, and
the family owned the house until 1962.
In 1962, Luther Hospital bought the
Ager home, and its auxiliary group housed the Red Carpet resale
shop there.
In 1993, when Luther Hospital needed
the space to expand its complex, it donated
the house to the Waldemar Ager Association and then moved
the home from its original spot on Chestnut Street to its current
location at 514 W. Madison Street. The lot on Madison is roughly
a quarter mile north of the Ager home's original foundation.
Since that time, dedicated volunteers
have restored the house to its early-1900's likeness. The Association
has brought the utilities and structure up to current public
facility codes while restoring much of the home's original,
intricately carved trim.
The first floor of the home, including
the family parlor and Waldemar's study, is being restored to
look much as it had during Waldemar's life. The lower level
of the home will be a work and study area with a kitchenette.
The Ager House, included three times
on Eau Claire's Historic Preservation Association tour of homes,
is busy throughout the year with many visitors and festivities
and is becoming a favorite meeting place. The Pie and Ice
Cream Social in August, Advent at the Ager House in December
and Norwegian classes in January have become yearly traditions.
The Sons of Norway and Nordmanns-Forbundet meet there,
and artist Elsebeth Lavold brought her Knitting Across the
Viking Trail exhibit to the Ager House in the fall of 2004.
The upper storey of the house eventually will house a growing
collection of research material, and office space for organizations
and research projects.
The Ager House
has been included on the National Register of Historic Places,
and also recognized as a Literary Landmark by the National Association
of Friends of Public Libraries.
Winter
2007–2008:
Spring
2008: Library grand opening June 20–22
Spring
2008: Missman donates oil
painting to Ager house
Second
Floor Nearing Completion
Thanks to work from our dedicated volunteers, progress on
the completion of the second floor library continues.
(1) Final painting of the walls and trim is almost done.
(2) Construction work on the replacement window and exterior
exit is nearly finished.
(3) Planning for shelving and a work center is underway,
and, hopefully, construction will begin soon.
The
library committee is progressing with cataloging and organizing
the many books that have been donated to the Ager Association.
Members of the committee are exploring techniques for
digitizing copies of Reform,
so they will be accessible for researchers. They are also
preparing to gather input from the membership to establish
priorities for developing systems for the library. Watch
for a questionnaire in January!
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Updated:
2007:
Progress on the second floor library
Fall 2007:
New
China for the Ager House
Spring 2007: Report from the Interiors
Committee
Spring
2005: Progress with the Ager House
interior
Are you interested
in getting involved with this restoration project? The Waldemar
Ager Association appreciates new members
and volunteers.
The
Ager home at 514 W. Madison Street. Volunteers have
restored the porch and trim to its original appearance.
Photo taken in 1998, courtesy Lizbeth Ager
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