Louise Heffelfinger Bell 1878–1961
§ Like her friends Juty Pillsbury and Grace Dayton, Louise Heffelfinger Bell married well, becoming Mrs. James Ford Bell in 1902. Her husband was known not only as the founder of General Mills but also for his magnificent library, which he eventually donated to the University of Minnesota. Nevertheless, Louise was far from the glamorous grand-dame type, according to her grandchildren. In contrast, she was known for her engaging personality, her fun-loving disposition and her great parties. Short and stocky, she was a natural athlete, readily vanquishing male opponents on the tennis court. She even learned how to load and shoot a gun to hunt grouse and quail, activities quite unusual for women at the time. Despite developing arthritis later in life, she continued to play tennis with her cane in one hand and her racket in the other. Born in 1878 in Minneapolis, Louise attended a private boarding school for girls in Philadelphia, where she qualified for the girls’ baseball (more likely softball) team. Meanwhile, her brother, William Walter “Pudge” Heffelfinger, a star athlete at Yale, became the first professional football player in the country. Soon after her wedding, Louise gave birth to four children: James Jr., Charles, Samuel and Sally. All four were born at the family home, Belford, where there was plenty of household staff on hand to help, including a nanny, a butler, a cook, maids, a chauffeur and a gardener. Sited high on a hill overlooking Lake Minnetonka, Belford was perfect for outdoor sports: boating and sailing in summer and sledding in winter. When the children were young, neighbors would join them for popular toboggan competitions, pushing off from a tower to pick up speed on the iced track. When conditions were right, they would glide right over to Breezy Point then have to lug their toboggans all the way back. Come summer, Louise liked to take guests out on Loafden, her 44-foot flat-bottomed motorboat. For entertainment, she would bring her little piano out to the boat deck and have popular Twin Cities pianist Sid Williams play their favorite tunes. Her husband decided this was not safe, so she moved her little piano back inside. But they did bring Loafden along to Rainy Lake, a beloved family retreat. In addition to sports, Louise loved theater and music, most of all the performers. During World War II when the circus came to town, she invited the cast to Belford, charging an admission fee of donated cigarettes for the troops. The original estate was built in 1908 by the first Bell, James Stroud Bell, who came to Minneapolis from Philadelphia to head the Washburn-Crosby Company. His architect, William Channing Whitney, created a Mediterranean-style country
manor of gleaming white stucco and red tile. Bell promptly named it Belford, combining his name and that of his wife, Sallie Montgomery Ford. Next to inherit the estate was James Ford Bell, who transformed it from a summer house into a three-story, year-round residence. In 1964, James Ford Bell Jr. became the third Bell to occupy the home, along with his wife, Elinor Watson, a talented pianist and music lover. They decided to remove the third floor, which had been added for the household staff. The still spacious interior offered enough room for two grand pianos and comfortable seating in the drawing room as well as a separate formal dining room, handsome library, sunroom, kitchen and bath. The exterior of Belford retained much of its neoclassical façade, featuring a symmetrical design with two wings projecting out from the center. The lakeside terrace showcased the European influences with its Corinthian columns, balustrade and arched windows. Alongside the house were gardens blooming with Louise’s favorite flower, pink peonies. The upper terrace boasted a series of tall, round columns, reminiscent of a Roman forum, that framed another garden. On the other side of the drive was the large rectangular swimming pool, also framed with tall white columns, as well as a plaza for Louise’s piano and seating for guests. Throughout her life, Louise loved to throw parties, often out by the pool, where Williams would play her piano. For big events, she would invite upward of 75 guests to the cabin in the nearby woods, a special treat and a complete escape from the formality of Belford. There, guests would feast on festive dinners and dance the night away. Above all, Louise was a show-biz fanatic. She often accompanied her husband on business trips to New York City, where she would indulge in the latest Broadway hits and nightclub music. It was said that when Cole Porter was impoverished, she helped keep him alive with financial support. Louise visited Manhattan so often that she established her own circle there, including many prominent New Yorkers. In her later life, she continued her philanthropy and, despite her arthritis, kept right on traveling to Rainy Lake, New York City and other favorite haunts. Enjoying herself as usual, she died suddenly of a heart attack in 1961 just miles from her beloved Belford. And while she might not have called herself a grand dame, Louise Heffelfinger Bell most certainly left a legacy to sing about. Celebrated Wayzata writer Bette Hammel is the author of such books as Legendary Homes of Lake Minnetonka, Legendary Homes of the Minneapolis Lakes and Wild About Architecture.
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Spring 2018
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