Post Bulletin Monday, April 18, 2005
Past and Future
Balfour House joins national registry, but kids keep it lively
By Jeff Hansel jhansel@postbulletin.com
Walter Balfour stood on the front stoop of his childhood home to address gathered supporters.
His emotions welled.
"I want to say thank you for my... " He stopped. "Well, my parents and my brothers and my sister and the grandchildren." This was a close-knit family, and he's the only one left.
The Civic League Day Nursery held a celebration Saturday, replete with unveiling of a plaque showing that the nursery's Balfour House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house has a Rochester
In 1975, the house was given to Civic League in exchange for the league's then-downtown headquarters.
After five years of researching architectural history, photographs, obituaries and oral histories, the Balfour
House was listed on the registry in July, and the plaque was unveiled Saturday by Walter Balfour.
"It was this room this fireplace and this chair that my father was in,” Balfour said as he stood in his childhood home and reminisced. “In the corner toward the windows was where the radio was,” he said, recalling the era when families would listen to nightly programming together. Popcorn and shakes was a fond memory from Sundays. On Wednesdays, the family would go to Mayowood for get-togethers.
The Balfour home has changed over the years.
An upstairs closet contains wallpaper from when Walter Balfour was a child. The upper part of the closet is lined with repeated images of a golfer, a man skiing, a hunter with a bird, a man diving into the water, a baseball player, a tennis player and a fisherman about to scoop a fish into a net.
Balfour said kids who use the daycare go in there now and lookup at those figures, just as he did when he was a kid.
These days, the house is filled each day with the voices of several dozen children ages 2 ½ to kindergarten. Signs say things like “kids at work” and “I can be anything.” A fish tank bubbles away.
“I think my father has just got to be thrilled that this is what happened, and I think he’s watching down and saying, ‘Wow.’”
For immediate release
Contact:
Deb Mauk, Civic League executive director
507-282-5368
Or
Mike Dougherty, Civic League president
507-529-7717
Balfour House Historic Registry plaque celebration
Civic League Day Nursery marks listing of its southwest center with public event
Civic League Day Nursery’s southwest center,
“The Balfour House has such a historic legacy in
One of Dr. Balfour’s children, Walter of Yuba City, Calif., is planning to attend the ceremony. He has visited the home periodically over the years when he’s back in
Walter Balfour and others tell stories about visits to the home from Helen Keller, Charles Lindbergh and even concerts there by the renowned St. Olaf College Choir.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by National Park Service after the State Historical Preservation Office approved the application. The application was based on the historical significance of Dr. Balfour, a surgeon and one of the original partners in the Mayo Clinic.
This historic home sits on a hill at the east edge of
The house was given historic status because of Dr. Balfour’s talents as a surgeon (health/medicine) and later his work advancing medical education (education). He developed an instrument to hold open an incision during surgery that’s known as the “Balfour retractor” and it’s commonly used today. Dr. Balfour went into the administrative portion of his career in the 1930s after he contracted pulmonary tuberculosis, which cut short his surgical career. During this time he helped found and direct the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and archeological resources. Listing on the National Register means that the property has been documented and evaluated according to federal standards and listed on the National Register because it is significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture.
Civic League Day Nursery is a nonprofit childcare organization in
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Balfour House Tour
Civic League Day Nursery
Entryway
This was the formal entryway for the house. Note the leaded glass windows. To your left is the former doorway into the library. Its yellow, orange and brown stained glass lyre pattern is a design that runs through many rooms of the first floor.
Moving ahead to the left doorway is the dining room. Meals continue to be shared here today by the Civic League Day Nursery children. This formal dining area for the Balfour family is accented with darkly stained wainscoting.
Library
To the south of the dining room is the library. Today this is a classroom for four-year-olds. Note the fireplace space has been filled in and now serves as a cozy nook to read and play. The shelving on the walls belies this rooms past purpose; the library. The stained glass lyre pattern on the doorway windows and the transoms continue in this room through the doors on the room.
Music Room
This was the central gathering place in the home and continues today. Civic League calls it the “muscle room” and it’s where children do a variety of activities. It serves as a play area when inclement weather does not allow them to venture outside. The room was named by the Civic League Board as the Joan Storm Gravett Room in honor of Mrs. Gravett, who was president of the board of directors when Civic League moved to Balfour House. Mrs. Gravett served on the board for nine years and later was the director, serving with distinction from 1977 to 1995.
Dr. Balfour would play the pipe organ for guests. Members of the Balfour family have told stories about Helen Keller visiting the home and holding her hands to the pipe chamber screens to experience the concert. At other times, the St. Olaf College Choir would give concerts in the room, sometimes accompanied by Dr. Balfour on the pipe organ. The Balfours moved in 1960 and donated the organ to
The two carved oak organ chamber screens are on the east wall and include decorations with the lyre motif. The window nearest the back door opened into the family’s greenhouse. Dr. Balfour’s daughter, Mary, was married to Dr. Fred Helmholz in this area of the house. This greenhouse was removed around the time of World War II. The fireplace’s hearth is surrounded by cream and blue terra-cotta tiles with floral-patterned reveals. The original flooring was tile, which remains under the carpet. The original wood trimmed coffered effect remains on the ceiling.
Basement
These two classrooms are for children from age
Second floor
The first two rooms at the top of the stairs in the front of the house are classroom space for four-year-olds. The first room was Dr. Balfour’s office and the second was the bedroom for the Balfours. Further down the hallway on the south are classrooms for three-year-olds. These were the bedrooms for the Balfour children.
Of special note is the closet in the second to last room on the left as you walk from front to back. It’s Walter Balfour’s room. In the closet with sports figure wallpaper is a note in the bottom left corner where he wrote: “Please don’t remove this wall paper – Walt Balfour’s closet.”
Third floor
This is the classroom for kindergarten-age children who attend Civic League either before or after their half-day kindergarten classes.
This floor was occupied by the people who helped serve the house. A room also was rented to Mabel Root, who assisted Dr. Henry Plummer to expand the patient record system at Mayo Clinic.
Outdoors
The building in the rear of the property served as the garage, service facility and residence for Nels Twedt and his family. Mr. Twedt was the chauffeur and mechanic. Today, it has been remodeled to include office space on the first floor, while maintaining a garage stall on the right. The apartment upstairs is rented out.
Thank you for touring Balfour House. Civic League Day Nursery is proud of this home and the special place it holds for so many in our community. Preservation of this home continues the spirit of serving the community that produced Civic League Day Nursery. This spirit of serving community and contributing to its betterment is something that burned in Dr. Balfour and it’s a spirit that Civic League Day Nursery has nurtured in its 75 years of serving children.
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History and Development
Mike Dougherty, Revised 2004
The Women's Civic League of Rochester, Minnesota was formally organized in 1887 and incorporated in 1923. The original members were primarily churchwomen who joined together to help identify unmet community needs and to initiate programs when none existed. As a result, over the years, a variety of community service projects were initiated. Many led to the establishment of new agencies or the expansion of existing organizations. The women of the Civic League were innovators. Their foresight helped to shape many of the service agencies, which still serve the citizens of Rochester today.
A number of early projects dealt with improving sanitation and resulted in frequent appearances of the members before the City Council and other government boards. The School Board was persuaded to install screens on the windows of the elementary schools, markets were encouraged to properly cover meat to protect against flies, and city alleys were cleaned. In 1910, a delegation of35 women made headlines when they successfully lobbied the Rochester City Council for the employment of a meat inspector. In 1916, they instigated action for the hiring of a policewoman who, while assisting the police department was to keep proper order at all public gatherings and act as a social worker advisor in all matters affecting the welfare of the citizens. Thus, a close working relationship between the local Health Office and Civic League evolved. In 1925, the League was instrumental in arranging for the purchase of new headquarters for the Health Department. For several years, until the completion of the City Hall, the two groups shared the same office building, tne former Dr. Witherstine home, which today is the site of the Mayo Medical Science Building.
About 1912, the League secured a small frame house on the east side of First Avenue between Southwest Second and Third Streets. For 13 years it was maintained for their office. Because it had restroom facilities, the women shoppers and their children also used it. The city took over the maintenance of the restroom area in 1925 when the Civic League headquarters was moved to the former Witherstine home.
The women of the Civic League first recognized the need for some sort of social work services. From its earliest days, the Civic League sponsored the services of a visiting nurse and a "social worker" to help in its program for community betterment and family support. In 1928, the Civic League acquired a regular source of funding for these employees when it became a member of the newly created Community Chest, later called the United Way of Olmsted County. In 1931, the Public Health Nursing Service was created and assumed responsibility for the visiting nurse program of the Civic League.
During the Depression years of the 1930's, the State Welfare Department expanded its operations and encouraged conununities in the state to examine and consolidate their local welfare efforts to help meet the needs of greater numbers of unserved families. In Rochester, this led to the recommendation that the Rochester Board of Public Health become the "parent" organization for the Civic League welfare projects. This unique concept of shared responsibility, begwl in 1938, came about because the City Charter would not allow for the expenditure of city funds for direct relief. In 1938, the Department of Public Health became the Public Health and Welfare Department with a Civic League member serving as a director on the governing Board. Under its supervision, the Civic League administered social-service relief projects with Community Chest monies. The Civic League was one of the charter recipients of Community Chest funds.
Under the new cooperative arrangement, the Civic League social worker moved to City Hall where the Health and Welfare Department was housed. Her office became known as the Family Service Office, which provided families or individuals short-term relief. The Civic League Personnel Committee hired the social worker and shared the expense for her salary with the Health and Welfare Department, with office expenses assumed by the latter. Tllis arrangement continued until 1946 when, by mutual agreement of the two Boards and the approval of the City Council; the total support of the Fanilly Service Office was assigned to the Public Health and Welfare Department.
Among the responsibilities of the Fanilly Service Office were the licensing of private homes for day care and fanlily cOWlSeling. Public School nurses often turned to this Office for help when they found children whose parents were unable to afford needed health aids. Local service organizations frequently responded to pleas for funds to pay for glasses, hearing aids, or dental work.
For many years, the Civic League was the coordinating body for the distribution of holiday food baskets to low income families in the community. After 20 years, the Board recognized that this need could be better met through the creation of a new independent organization. Using a model from Denver, Colorado, the Civic League developed a service in 1956 called Christmas Unlimited, which later became Christmas Anonymous. After this was firmly established, it was turned over to a citizen's group to continue the operation. Another long-term project of the League was the maintenance of the rent for the upkeep of a "clothing room" for needy persons with the Salvation Army.
In 1926, the Civic League fell heir to a large house through the Will of the Woodworth sisters, who had been active Civic League members. The property was located in the 400 block of West Center Street. Although the will mentioned the possibility of the House becoming a "rest stop" for women shopping in the city, members of the Civic League Board felt there was a greater need to provide free custodial care for children of working mothers. After considerable study and planning, a Day Nursery was opened in 1930. It occupied only one room on the main floor of the Woodworth House.
The permit issued by the State Board of Control, stated that not more than 12 children, ages 2 to 5 years of age, were to be present at any given time. Hours were 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. six days a week. The custodial care included the giving of orange juice and cod liver oil morning, morning and afternoon snacks, noon lunch followed by a nap, and supervised :tree play.
In its earliest years, volunteers and one employee, a "matron" staffed the Nursery. She was responsible for the operation of the entire building, then referred to as the Woodworth Clubhouse. The upstairs rooms were rented to single women, primarily Methodist Hospital nurses. This rent money combined with interest from bonds that were part of the Woodworth inheritance, financed utilities, building renovations and maintenance. Operational costs of the nursery were raised by community subscriptions and private donations. Each Civic League Board member was given a list of names from which she collected monthly contributions. The Kiwanis Club provided milk for the nursery through a series of fund-raising events. They also provided funds for a fence to enclose the play yard.
It soon became evident that more help was required. A housekeeper was added to the Clubhouse in addition to the Nursery matron in order to be in compliance with the State Labor and Day Nursery laws.
In 1933, the Nursery Committee of the Women's Civic League established an account for the Day Nursery funds separate ftom the Women's Civic League. At that time, the only fmancial support ftom the League for the nursery project was the provision of space, without charge, in the Woodworth Clubhouse. In 1940, the program still had a staff of only two and daily fee ranged ftom five cents forty-five cents, depending upon the mother's ability to pay. The Family Service Office screened all applicants, a practice that continued until 1973. A grant allocation of $1,500 in 1941 ftom the Community Chest marked the end to the eleven years of monthly pledge collection by the Civic League Board members for the financial support of the Nursery.
In 1945, the day Nursery expanded by adding the use of a second room and enlarging the bathroom. This allowed the program to be licensed for 20 children, ages 3 to 5. By 1947, with a staff expanded to 4, the Community Chest grant had climbed to $3,445. The sliding fee income totaled $1,796. The daily fee ranged from ten cents to a dollar. The average daily cost of operation was calculated at 95.25 cents per child.
About 1958, the concept of providing only custodial care for children in day care was deemed inappropriate and the requirements for State Licensing Standards were raised. The Civic League responded by starting the practice of hiring directors and head teachers who were professionally qualified in education or related fields. A licensed, modern, well-staffed day care center evolved which offered an enriched child-care program. Many community resource individuals helped considerably in fulfilling this endeavor.
By 1960, the staff consisted of the Director, two Head Teachers, two Assistants, a Cook and a Janitor. The teacher child ration was 1 to 10. The financial situation was somewhat eased by the Nursery being accepted into the Agricultural Food Surplus Program.
Also in 1960, the Civic League was successful in obtaining a $3,000 grant from the Rochester Area Foundation to establish a Homemakers Service. Records refer to the "carefully selected" women who were employed to help families when an emergency took a mother away ftom the home. The service was provided only on a temporary basis during daytime hours when "the father of the family was at work". Employees were retained on the job unttil the United Way fund support made it possible to employ the homemakers on a salaried basis.
1962 and 1963 was a period of self-evaluation for the Civic League. The Board "voted to undertake an analytical study ofthe organization, its policies, its functions and the contributions of its various services" to the community. An outgrowth of this action was a two-year joint planning effort with other local service agencies resulting in the closing of the Family Service Office and the establishment of the Family Consultation Center. This was later known as Family Counseling and Home Services, Inc. The director of the new agency was assigned the responsibility of working with families experiencing problems as a result of "child behavior or material misunderstanding". A social worker on the Family Consultation Center staff assumed the responsibility for interviewing the families who wished to enroll their children at the Nursery, ajob previously handled through the Family Service Office. This new agency also assumed responsibility for the Civic League Homemaker Service project. Of the many programs introduced and developed by the Civic League Board of Directors since 1887, only the Day Nursery retained the sponsorship of Civic League.
In the meantime, the Civic League Day Nursery was becoming well known in the community and the state as a model program for child day care. The analytical study reported, "the service has had enthusiastic acceptance by its users, and was considered to be one of the best day care centers in the state in 1961." The Nursery participated in the Minnesota Preschool Education Association workshop, held in Rochester in 1961. An open house was held for over 80 teachers that attended. In the summer of 1963, and again in 1964, the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare sponsored a weeklong state workshop in Rochester. The Civic League Day Nursery staff was asked to be presenters. Participants were also scheduled to visit and observe the Civic League Day Nursery's home-like day care facility and exemplary program.
As a growing need for day care was recognized, another eventual result of the analytical study was the expansion of the Day Nursery to accommodate 38 children. In 1966, the Civic League ceased renting the upstairs rooms in the Woodworth House making that area available for clilldren. The professionally trained staff continued to offer an enriched program that endeavored to meet children's needs in all areas of development. Parenting support was offered through periodic meetings dealing with behavior problems and other concerns. The staff included a director, two head teachers, four assistant teachers, four part-tinle helpers, a janitor, a Cleaning woman, a cook and an assistant cook, who also served as housekeeper. The Civic League Day Nursery continued to be rated among the top day care centers in the state.
An After-School Childcare project was piloted in 1966 and 1967. Encouragement and financial support came from the United Fund, the Rochester branch of the American Association of University Women and West Side Kiwanis Club. When participation fell below expectations, the project was discontinued. It was not until 1974 that the Civic League again ventured into after-school care. At that time, a $1,000 state grant was secmed to provide start-up funds for a year-round program for kindergarten age children.
It was housed in the First Presbyterian Church, which expanded care from 9 children to 17 in September 1974.
In the summer of 1972, with the backing of the United Way Board, the Civic League applied for funds to finance the opening of a satellite day nursery center. State grants provided start-up funds for equipment and a combination of Federal and United Way monies made possible a contract with the Social Services Depa11ment to pay the fees of all income eligible children. Space made available by the First Christian Church in northwest Rochester became the Northwest Center in October 1972, licensed to care for 28 children, bringing the combined total to 64 children being cared for by the Civic League Day Nursery. The teaching staffwas increased from 5 to 12. The contract was renewed in 1973. The daily cost per child was $8.55 and the annual budget was $104,000.
Meanwhile, the old ftame Woodworth house was deteriorating. The Mayo Foundation was approached with the idea of exchanging the Woodworth property for the vacant Balfour property at the corner of Fifth Street and Sixth Avenue Southwest. The larger Balfour property would allow the Civic League Board to consolidate its after-school kindergarten program and downtown nursery. The Mayo Foundation agreed to the proposal so the Civic League Board went to the community seeking financial help for building renovations, including the installation of a sprinkler system required by state code, and for moving expenses. The Rochester Area Foundation approved a grant of $6,000, the Kahler Foundation gave $1,500 and $400 was donated by the Exchange Club. A loan of $25,000 was secured with the cooperation of Rochester banks.
In August 1975, after many hours of volunteer labor by the Civic League Board members, staff, parents, and members of the Local Painters Union, an after school kindergarten program for 25 children moved to the first floor rooms of the Balfour House. In October, the nursery programs, which had been housed in the Woodworth house for 45 years, were moved to the second floor of the Balfour house. By February of 1976, renovation of the third floor was completed allowing the kindergarten group to occupy the third floor and additional preschoolers to occupy the first floor so the Balfour housed 68 children. The still active satellite Northwest Center program served 29 children.
In September 1976, the age span of children served by Civic League programs when first and second grade children were permitted to enroll in the after-school program. Two years later, in 1978 grants ftom the Rochester Area Foundation and the Kahler Corp. made possible the remodeling of the basement area of the Balfour House for classroom use for toddlers and part of the garage as an office. With the additional space, the Balfour House was licensed for 89 children. The Northwest Center was then closed and all day nursery operations were consolidated at one site.
In 1986, the annual operating budget of the Civic League Day Nursery grew to $284,727. The United Way of Olmsted County, the Federal Government Child Care Food Subsidy and parent fees were the prinlary funding sources. The fees were $60 per week per child. Sliding fee payments were made available for eligible families. The Child Care Resource and Referral office administered the County, State and Federal monies for subsidized fees. United Way sliding fee dollars were managed by the Executive Director ofthe Civic League Day Nursery. The Day Nursery program was licensed to serve 93 children, ages 2 to 8. The staff included a full-time executive director, 5 lead teachers, 7 assistant teachers, a cook and an assistant cook, a part-time office manager and a custodian.
The start of the school year in 1988 saw further expansion as Civic League Day Nursery began operating the newly built Day Care Center for 30 children at Rochester Technical College. This center also served as a lab school for training students enrolled in the Child Development Assistant Program. Women's Civic League of Rochester celebrated their centennial with a luncheon for past board members at this new center. Revised licensing standards for group day care also went into effect in 1988. These standards required additional detailed record keeping and more specific training for teachers.
The budget for 1991 was $395,000. The preschool weekly fee was $81 and the before and after school kindergarten fee was $68. The total licensed capacity of both centers was 123. The combined staff included 1 director, 1 supervisor/lead teacher, 6 lead teachers, 9 assistant teachers, 1 part-time office manager, 3 part-time cooks and 1 parttime custodian.
The Balfour House was shown on the 1991 American Association of University Women Spring House Tour. Several hundred people showed an interest in house's history and its current use. '
In July 1996, the southeast childcare site moved from Riverland Technical College to the new Rochester Community and Technical College at the University Center Rochester. Lead and Assistant teachers are encouraged to use up to 40 hours each year of regular work time for job related training; and a collaborative relationship between Head Start and Civic League initially begun at the Rochester Technical College is also expanded at the southwest location at the Balfour House in 1998.
In the 1990's as the Rochester community experiences economic and diverse growth so too has the Civic League Day Nursery. The primary sources of revenue continue to be a combination of parent fees and subsidies from the United Way of Olmsted County the Federal Government Child Care Food Program and Child Care Resource and Referral. In 2000, personnel costs (salaries and benefits) have risen to nearly $500,000 for 23 staff members. The annual operating budget is over $674,000. The southwest location is licensed for 93 children ages 2 through 8 and the southeast location is licensed to 35 children ages 2 through 8. The rates for toddlers run $150 per week; preschoolers $140 per week and kindergarteners $120 per; week. The slidi
(to be continued)
History and Development Update
Terry Narr, Revised 2007
In 2001, Children’s Home Society decided to close its nonprofit childcare center in Rochester. Civic League was asked by Child Care Resource and Referral and dozens of Children’s Home Society parents to take over the operation of the center at 3212 22nd Street NW. With help from CCRR, United Way and Southern MN Initiative Foundation, Civic League was able to keep the center open, retaining its staff and students.
By 2004, it was clear Civic League Day Nursery had outgrown this facility in northwest Rochester. Long waiting lists, the cost of maintaining an older building, and the desire for a more stable situation than the short-term lease provided, motivated the Board to form a committee to explore options to relocate this center. After months of looking at existing buildings and finding nothing suitable, they met with several architects and builders to discuss building a center that would meet Civic League’s needs. In the fall of 2006 a lot was purchased in the new Harvestview development in northwest Rochester. Kane & Johnson Architects and Knutson Construction were hired to work with the Board and staff to design a larger, barrier-free building in the most cost-effective manner. A capital campaign, “Building on Tradition,” was initiated in 2007.
In 2005, Civic League Day Nursery celebrated its 75th anniversary. It was a remarkable achievement considering the organization started during the Great Depression serving twelve children in a single classroom and had grown to three sites serving over 230 children annually.
Civic League Day Nursery was Rochester’s first childcare center and is one of the oldest in Minnesota. Its longevity and growth is based on two things: strong community support for high-quality childcare and a tradition of innovative and talented teachers, many of whom have made Civic League Day Nursery their careers. Financially, Civic League has achieved a balance that allows them to plan for the future, competitively compensate their staff and keep fees in a range that is fair. Over 40% of Civic League Day Nursery students qualify for tuition assistance programs, making it possible for their parents to work or attend classes.