Wanda Gág House
The Wanda Gág House is a historic house museum at 226 North Washington Street in New Ulm, Minnesota.
Wanda Gág Childhood Home | |
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| Location | 226 N. Washington St., New Ulm, Minnesota |
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| Coordinates | 44°18′50″N 94°27′56″W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| MPS | Brown County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001204[1] |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 1979 |
The museum commemorates the life and legacy of author and artist Wanda Gág (1893-1946), whose childhood home this was. Gág was a noted children's author and illustrator, whose most well-known book was Millions of Cats.[2] Gág was the eldest of seven children and the child of an artist. Wanda Gág posthumously won the 1958 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Millions of Cats and the 1977 Kerlan Award for her entire oeuvre.[3]
Built in 1898, Wanda Gág's home is a fine example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1]
Mission
"The mission of the Wanda Gág House Association is to educate and inspire by preserving the Gág family home and celebrating the family's history and creative expression and provide educational experiences."[4]
Description
The Gág House stands in an residential area just southwest of downtown New Ulm, at the junction of North Washington Street and 3rd Street North. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame building, with a complex roofline and exterior finished in a combination of wooden clapboards and shingles. Its front facade has a projecting gable section on the right, with a broad polygonal bay one story in height topped by a single sash window. The bay windows are interspersed with wooden panels, and a field of diamond-cut shingles is set below the upper window. To the left of the projecting section is a porch elaborately decorated with turned posts and balusters, and a spindled valance overhead.[5]
The house was built in 1894 by Anton Gag, and served from then until 1913 as the childhood home of Wanda Gág (who adopted the accented "a" as an adult). Gág was a successful artist and illustrator, and is credited with producing one of the first picture books in 1926.[5] The house was acquired by a non-profit organization in 1988. It was restored, and opened as a museum dedicated to Gág in 2008. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]
Art Collection
On display are paintings by Anton Gág, Wanda's father, and Flavia Gág, Wanda's sister. Lithographs, drawings, and paintings by Wanda Gág are on display, as well as books created by Wanda and Flavia.[7]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- "Wanda Gag House". Explore Minnesota. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- "Wanda Gág | Penguin Random House". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- "About". www.wandagaghouse.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- "NRHP nomination for Wanda Gag Childhood Home". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
- "Wanda Gag House, New Ulm, Minnesota". collection.mndigital.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- "Wanda Gag House". Explore Minnesota. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
