Modernism on the Move: Mankato and St. Peter

Modernism on the Move: Mankato + St. Peter. Bus Tour Presented by Docomomo US/MN.
Saturday, May 2, 2026. Departs Ridgedale Library @ 8am; Returns by 6pm.

Modernism on the Move: Mankato + St. Peter Bus Tour is set for Saturday, May 2, 2026.

Join Docomomo US/MN for a day celebrating + showcasing Modernism in Southern Minnesota!

Docomomo US/MN excited for our inaugural regional bus tour, heading to St. Peter & Mankato. Get ready for an action-packed day, touring seven Modernist homes and a Modernist church.

The motor coach will depart promptly at 8:00am from the Ridgedale Library, where you will be greeted with coffee + Cardigan Donuts.

Once aboard the bus, we head to our first stop, the Erling House, in St. Peter. After a brief stop at another Modernist home, we head to Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus College, where we will enjoy a picnic lunch from the St. Peter Co-Op, and a self-guided tour of the chapel.

After lunch, it’s back on the bus to head down the road to Mankato. We will tour four more Modernist homes, all unique in their own right, before heading to the final home of the day, where we will enjoy a tour and a closing reception. Post-reception, it’s back on the bus to relax on our way home to the Twin Cities.

Tickets now on-sale!
Docomomo US/MN Members: $135
General Admission: $160

Metro parking / Bus pick-up:
Ridgedale Library
12601 Ridgedale Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55305

Please arrive to park at Ridgedale Library 15 minutes prior to departure to get donuts & coffee and a seat on the bus!

Space will be tight on this tour. No personal vehicles will be permitted – transportation between locations is only available on the motor coach!

If you are located in Southern Minnesota and would like to join the tour and get on the bus at the first stop in St. Peter, please reach out via email to make arrangements – [email protected]

Get Tickets via Eventbrite

Mankato + St. Peter Tour Locations –

The Erling House

Wick & Stansfield Architects, 1967

The property was purchased in 1959, the home was designed in 1961, and was finally built in 1967, a testament to the difficulty for church professionals to secure financing. Flat roof, two stories, yellow brick and horizontal aluminum siding (originally vertical redwood board and batten siding). The clients were a professor of theology, Bible, and Reformation studies at Gustavus Adolphus College and his aesthetically-skilled and innovative wife who was an informal student of architecture.

For the exterior, they used salvaged brick from a Gustavus building that was lost to fire before it was completed. The home was designed to be south-facing, despite the street on the east side of the lot, to leverage passive solar for the first and second floors. The passive solar leveraged large Andersen Gliding Windows (produced from 1940 to 1971) at the preference of the clients to avoid the more common double-hung windows. The concrete slab floor provided a thermal mass in the open-plan living, dining, and kitchen space on the main floor.

The interior was designed with light oak woodwork surrounded by walls of warm, light red brick. The main floor ceiling provides visual continuity and warmth through the large open floor plan by featuring 4-foot square panels of Philippine Mahogany (Meranti/Lauan). The interior fireplace mantle and exterior window sills were made from Kasota Stone (Oneota Dolostone) from a nearby quarry.

Chet & Marian Johnson House

Robert Cerny, 1953

According to a local historical record created by the original homeowners, the home was designed by an architect from Minneapolis by the name of Robert Cerny. The original plans for the home were obtained from Thorsov and Cerny in Minneapolis in 1953 and built by a local builder from Nicollet, Minnesota, Walt Hackbarth.

The home later underwent an extensive renovation in 1973. When the current owners purchased the home it had remnants of both time periods, including a large orange hot tub in the basement. The homeowners did a wonderful job uncovering and retaining the best aspects of the original 1953 design which include unique windows, outdoor siding, and artisan stonework - including a local Kasota stone fireplace, original birch woodwork throughout, built-in cabinetry, quarter-sawn oak wood floors, open screen porch and a set of Conant Ball lounge chairs. For the past ten years the home and surrounding landscape have been a labor of love.

Christ Chapel at Gustavus Adolphus

Setter, Leach & Lindstrom, 1959-61

Walls were formed using 88 pre-cast triangular concrete panels, each weighing 9-tons. The church has a 187ft, needle-like spire. Ribbon-like stained glass windows in the walls allow sunlight to trickle in. A broad upper balcony holds the organ (which cost $75,000 at the time of construction), and is ringed with pipes. Behind the altar rises a quartz-faced column, which has a wrought iron cross. The pulpit is at one side, making the altar the focus of the interior. Initial capacity was 1,500 persons. The structure cost an estimated $700,000. The design garnered some resistance when proposed in 1958.

Architect Stowell D. Leach noted in 1961, "Lots of people didn't like it at all when they saw the renderings. They were afraid of it. But we had some strong support – particularly from [school president] Dr. Carlson. This kind of church seems far out to some people, but it's a return to basic principles. It is big and it is simple--almost to the point of being primitive. It's not nearly so sophisticated as Gothic architecture." Gustavus president Edgar M. Carlson stated "This is a contemporary building that as clearly emphasizes the upward reaching lines as any Gothic arch ever did." Ahead of its dedication, a school official said the institution had no issue with it not matching the existing architectural styles: "Our theme of architecture is to have no theme at all."

Received AIA MN's 25-Year Award (1993); Builder: George E. Carlstrom Const. Co.; Designer: Harry E. Gerrish;

Kagermeier Residence

Jim Kagermeier, 1965

Built in 1965 by Jim & Sandy Kagermeier for themselves and their three young boys. Jim was the architect, Sandy was a prominent area antiques dealer. Jim designed many modern commercial buildings in Mankato, including the Blue Earth County Library, the Centenary United Methodist Church, and Mankato East High School. Jim designed the home to be built in stages, with the main portion of the home being completed in 1965.

The garage was built in 1978. A floating breakfast nook on pilotis (cement pillars) was later added, which links the main house to the garage. A 190 square foot suspended hot tub room was added to the east side of the home in 1981. A large three season art studio with vaulted ceiling was also added off the garage. The home was purchased from the Kagermeier estate by BR and Beth-Ann O’Halloran in May of 2014. Their intention has been to preserve the original unique mid-century features, where they have showcased their love of mid century modern design.

Waldo L. Jaax House

Wick & Stansfield, 1948

The original house was built in 1948. The original owner was Waldo Jaax, was founder of Midwest Coaches, Inc. (originally called Southwest Stages), a bus company with transit lines throughout the southwest of the state, Iowa, and South Dakota. Waldo L. gave the house to his son, Waldo Raymond "Wally" Jaax Sr. some years later.

The house's third owners were Randall & Kay Lamb, who purchased it in 1989; the house was structurally sound but they wanted updates, so in 1994 they engaged the architectural firm of Julie Snow & Vince James, who made additions (including a library/atrium with clerestory windows) and gave it some Prairie School style revival elements that were popular in the 1990s.

William & Toy Blethen Residence

Hodne / Stageberg Partners, 1972

Built by A.J. Hoffman Contractor on the former Rasmussen property. William and Toy Blethen were the original owners. Joan and Gregg are the second owners. The home is nestled into the edge of Rasmussen Woods, which was established in 1977 as a city park. This natural untamed space, with extensive hiking trails, serves as an outdoor laboratory for the neighboring university.

George Carlstrom Residence

Richard Rice, 1966

One of a handful of homes in Mankato designed by noted North Carolina architect Dick Rice, FAIA. George Carlstrom served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. He then went to work for his father at George E. Carlstrom Construction. George was eventually named president of the Carlstrom Construction Company, Carlstrom Steel Supply, and New Ulm Quartzite Quarries.

Carlstrom Construction built many of the Taylor Corporation buildings in Mankato and Minneapolis; the fine arts complex, Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library, and Nobel Science Hall at Gustavus Adolphus College; Mankato Citizens Telephone office; the Student Union and Armstrong Hall at Minnesota State University, Mankato. He also built Bethlehem Lutheran Church and the addition at Grace Lutheran Church both in Mankato. The current owners purchased the home from the Carlstrom Family and are the second owners.

Catherine & Jared How Residence

Close Associates, 1967-68

This home was built for the How family, who were owners of the Mankato Free Press. Mrs. Catherine (“Cat”) How and her husband, Jared, had lived in an old house in an historical neighborhood in downtown Mankato. It was believed that Mrs. How was wishing to live in a more modern home. The Hows enlisted the architectural firm of Close Associates, of Minneapolis, and the AJ Hoffman Construction Company of Mankato for the build.

Catherine and Jared How lived in the house for nearly 20 years. After the death of Catherine How, Jared later married a recently widowed Mary Ellen Neitge, and lived in the house with his new wife, Mary Ellen How.

When Mr. How died in 1987, Mary Ellen's daughter Mary was an acquaintance of Lynda and Jake Jacobsen. When Mary learned that the Jacobsons were intending to build a new brick home in Mankato, she insisted that before they began building, that Lynda and Jake take a look at the house. After the first few minutes inside, the deal was sealed. It was love at first sight! Lynda, a painter, collects iconic mid-century modern chairs.

Reception Location

* A reception will be open for all tour attendees at the conclusion of the tour. Join the Docomomo US/MN board, volunteers and fellow fans of Minnesota Modernism for refreshments and light bites before boarding the bus for the return trip!

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