East Isles is a neighborhood within the larger Bde Maka Ska-Isles community in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, United States. The neighborhood was originally a part of the more historically affluent neighborhoods around

Lake of the Isles Lake of the Isles (Dakota language, Dakota: ''Wíta Tópa'', "Four Islands") is a lake in Minneapolis, Minnesota, connected to Cedar Lake (Minneapolis), Cedar Lake and Bde Maka Ska. The lake is part of the city's Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway# ...

: Kenwood and Lowry Hill. However, since the 1940s, it has become more urbanized than the rest of the community, since numerous apartment buildings have been built in the area. But, old mansions still can be found hidden in the neighborhood. It lies between

Hennepin Avenue Hennepin Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It runs from Lakewood Cemetery (at West 36th Street), north through the Uptown District of Southwest Minneapolis, through the Virginia Triangle, the former "Bottleneck" a ...

to the east,

to the west, West Lake Street to the south, and West 22nd Street to the north. Together with parts of

Lowry Hill East Lowry Hill East is a neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, part of the Calhoun Isles community. Lowry Hill East developed in the 1880s along a horse-drawn streetcar line built by Thomas Lowry. The interior of the neig ...

and other nearby neighborhoods, East Isles is part of the larger, but unofficial, Uptown neighborhood. Architects

William Gray Purcell William Gray Purcell (July 2, 1880April 11, 1965) was a Prairie School architect in the Midwestern United States. He partnered with George Grant Elmslie, and briefly with George Feick. The firm of Purcell & Elmslie produced designs for buildings i ...

and

George Grant Elmslie George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was a Scottish-born American Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a ...

designed the Catherine Gray House in this neighborhood, at 2409 Lake of the Isles Boulevard; it is currently owned by Brian and Mary Longe. Purcell built the Catherine Gray House (his first project) for his grandmother, who funded the project to help Purcell and Elmslie launch their new firm. Purcell lived in the house with his grandmother until he married his wife Edna. After many years of alterations and much white paint, the house had lost most of its

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in ...

characteristics. The Longes completed an extensive historical restoration to the exterior in 2005-2006, returning it to its original appearance. It is a fine example of early

in Minneapolis. Behind the Catherine Gray House, on Lake Place, is another significant project by

Purcell & Elmslie Purcell & Elmslie (P&E) was the most widely know iteration of a progressive American architectural firm, architectural practice. P&E was the second most commissioned firm of the Prairie School, after Frank Lloyd Wright. The firm in all iterations ...

- the Purcell-Cutts House. The Purcell-Cutts House was originally called the Edna Purcell House, named for his wife. Purcell and his wife lived in this home and raised their two sons there. The Cutts family bought the house years later and lived there for many years. They donated the home to the

Minneapolis Institute of Art The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) is an arts museum located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Home to more than 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, Mia is one of the largest art museums in the United State ...

. The home is now operated as a museum and is open to the public for tours. Signs denoting the neighborhood incorporate the window designs of this house.

References

External links

Minneapolis Neighborhood Profile - East IslesEast Isles Residents AssociationEIRABusinesses in East Isles, Minneapolis
{{Geographic Location , Center = East Isles , North = Lowry Hill , Northeast = , East =

, Southeast = , South = East Calhoun , Southwest = , West = Kenwood
Cedar-Isles-Dean , Northwest = Neighborhoods in Minneapolis