I recently did an internet search for "Art Galleries" in Rochester, MN and the Plummer House of the Arts came up. Being new to the city, I thought I'd give it a shot. There don't appear to be that many art museums in town, so it's an easy sell.
I was a little surprised to learn that during the summer, it is only open to the public on Wednesdays. I'm guessing this has something to do with the fact that the Plummer House itself also serves as a venue for weddings, receptions and various other parties. It's a little annoying that Wednesday is the only day that people can visit this place but one little thing makes up for it...you can actually wander the grounds for FREE during the rest of the week until sundown!
First, a tiny bit of history on the place. Dr. Henry S. Plummer and his wife Daisy built this English Tudor style mansion between 1917 & 1924. The house was designed by Ellerbe & Round, and boasted many innovations that were rare at the time. Some of the interesting things this house has are a central vacuum system, intercom system, dumbwaiter, electricity and gas lighting, garage door openers, heated pool, water tower, and two underground caves going into the house and the water tower. Yes, that's right, you read that last part correctly, TWO UNDERGROUND CAVES!
Sadly, those caves are closed off to the public. I asked a docent why and she said they are closed off because "People don't behave". But they do let you go down into the basement, where you will find yourself wandering through dank, dark, eery concrete tunnels filled with discarded machines from another era. On the day that I visited, I was trying to take photos of the toads jumping around in the darkness when I stumbled onto the "Simplex Ironer". Seeing this gigantic ironing machine gave me a bit of an insight into the life of the servants down below all of the upstairs luxury. You can almost hear the strains of the song "Hard Knock Life".
The house itself is full of architectural magic, if you know where to look. Unfortunately, it has undergone some renovations over the decades and not all of the 1920's glamour has withstood the test of time. Tragically, almost all of the sun porches upstairs have awkwardly painted clouds floating above your head. Clearly, at some point, someone with poor taste picked up a stencil book and redid the porches with fervor. I would have liked to see some more restoration of the original touches throughout the house, like the oil paintings of darkening skies and worn velvet couches in the living room. Perhaps, there are no plans to renovate or restore it back to its original glory because the house is currently used as a party venue.
Despite all of this, it is a wonderful maze of a house and not a bad way to spend a few hours of your afternoon. And for $8, it's the price of a movie ticket. Personally, I would not necessarily categorize it as an "art center" but it is a draw for those of us that love light fixtures and trap doors from an era long since past. The grounds boast a few water features, lush lawns and beautiful trees. I imagine they once had sweeping views of Rochester but have since allowed trees to block those views...understandably so, as now most of that view is consumed by the oh-so-unattractive Apache Mall. Also, if you find yourself wandering up to the upstairs ballroom, there appears to be a series of dance and fitness classes called Fitnastics! It seems like a clever use of space and also worth checking out. read more