Lewis House and Medical Office, also known as the Henning Landmark Center, is a historic building located in

Henning, Minnesota Henning is a city in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 854 at the 2020 census. History Henning was incorporated in 1887, and named for John O. Henning, a pharmacist. Geography According to the United States Cens ...

, United States. It is significant because of its association with rural medicine in the 20th century. Dr. A.J. Lewis acquired the property in 1911 from Dr. McCoy, whose practice he presumably took over. Lewis and his wife Clara moved into the house and he saw patients there. They built the present two-story, brick,

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 ...

residence in 1914 on the same property. Once this house was completed the old house was moved to a different lot in town. Lewis continued to see patients in his residence in addition to making

house call A house call is medical consultation performed by a doctor or other healthcare professionals visiting the home of a patient or client, instead of the patient visiting the doctor's clinic or hospital. In some locations, families used to pay du ...

s. The porch was enclosed in 1928 after Dr. James Vail was added to the practice. Vail left to join the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1942. Four years later, A.J. and Clara's son, Dr. Charles Lewis, joined the practice. When Dr. Jay Kevern joined the Lewis' in 1948, the

Modern Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

-style addition was completed. Kevern provided ophthalmology services and Dr. Vernon Johnson had a dental practice on the lower level. The facility became a multi-discipline medical practice. The medical doctors here also had privileges at the hospital in

Wadena, Minnesota Wadena ( ) is a city in Otter Tail and Wadena counties in the State of Minnesota. It is about one hundred sixty miles northwest of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area. The population was 4,325 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat ...

. Dr. A.J. Lewis continued to practice medicine here until he died in 1962. His wife Clara died in 1984. Dr. Charles Lewis sold the practice and house to Dr. Jon Wigert, who lived here and continued the practice until 1990 when Tri-County Hospital in Wadena built a new medical facility a block away. The Espeland family provided the funds to buy and renovate this facility for the City of Henning. The Landmark Center opened in 2009. Meetings, retreats, and other functions are held on the main floor of the residence and the second-floor bedrooms are used for over-night accommodations. The 1948 addition houses offices, meeting space, and a museum. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2021. A two-stall garage (c. 1920) is also a part of the historic designation.

References

External links

Henning Landmark Center
Houses completed in 1914 Office buildings completed in 1948 Prairie School architecture in Minnesota Modernist architecture in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Otter Tail County, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Otter Tail County, Minnesota Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota {{Minnesota-struct-stub