Casiville Bullard Home, 1282 Folsom Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota

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Casiville Bullard House
2007
Address:	1282 Folsom Street
City/locality- State/province	Saint Paul, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Ramsey County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Primary Style:	American Four-Square
Secondary Style:	American Four-Square
Historic Function:	House/single dwelling or duplex
Current Function:	House/single dwelling or duplex
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Brick
Material of Roof:	Asphalt Shingles

The Bullard House located in St. Paul's Como neighbourhood was built in 1909-1910 by Casiville Bullard – an African American stonemason and bricklayer who worked on many public and private landmark buildings in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Bullard is recognized as being part of a small group of black artisans operating around the nation at the turn of the Twentieth Century. ^[1] Bullard was also one of only a few black craftsmen in St. Paul during this time who worked as a member of a building trade union – the Local 1 of the Bricklayers, Masons and Plasterers Weber, 2004. To put this into perpective, "In St. Paul there were very few African Americans registered as member of Local #1 during the first 100 years of its existence."^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Building Description 3 Memories and stories 4 Badges 5 Photo Gallery 6 Related Links 7 Notes

History

Some of the notable buildings Bullard worked on in the Twin Cities include:

Minnesota State Capitol, St.Paul (1898-1905) St. Paul Cathedral (1902) Federal Courts Building – Landmark Center, St.Paul (1906) Union Depot, St.Paul (1917-1920) Pilgrim Baptist Church, St.Paul (1928) Foshay Tower, Minneapolis (1926-1929) Highland Water Tower, St.Paul (1927-1928) Ober Boys Club, St.Paul (1941)

Bullard was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1873. He trained as a mason before moving to St. Paul at the turn of the century and specialized in cutting and laying marble, granite, brick, concrete block as well as laying wooden flooring. Bullard is said to have moved to Minnesota to work on the State Capitol building which was constructed between 1898 and 1905.^[1]. Bullard worked in his trade for approximately 50 years and retired in his mid-seventies. As well as his prolific career as a brick and stone mason, Bullard was an enterprising individual who also operated four businesses including a grocery store and ice cream parlor at 1202 North Dale Street, a coal and wood yard near the corner of Farrington and St. Anthony Avenues, and a restaurant named the Sweet Shop – situated at 386 West Central Avenue. Bullard and his wife Addie had 10 children; after Addie died in 1918 of influenza, Bullard continued to raise all the children himself and he eventually remarried in 1927.

Building Description

The Bullard House at 1282 Folsom Street is the earliest self-built residence associated Casiville Bullard. Before the current brick-veneered house was constructed in 1909-1910, Bullard had lived on the property in a small woodframe house since circa 1904.

The house is a two and a half story building in the American Foursquare style. The foundation is constructed of concrete and faced with brick. The truncated hipped roof is covered with asphalt tiles and it has wide overhanging eaves. Interesting features of of the roofline are the hipped roofed dormer windows. A hipped roofed porch projects from the main façade; although this would have originally been open, it is now closed in. Although some exterior alterations have occurred over the years, the architectural layout and integrity of the Bullard House remains generally intact.^[1]

Memories and stories

Badges

This place is part of the Discover Black Minnesota: Saint Paul Tour

This place is part of the Saint Paul Labor History Tour

Photo Gallery

Related Links

Notes