Fairlawn Mansion Built by Martin Pattison in 1891, mansion is a Superior landmark

By Adelie Bergstrom abergstrom@duluthnews.com

Fairlawn Mansion was built in 1891 as the family home for lumber and mining baron Martin Pattison and his wife, Grace, along with their six children.

Martin Pattison served three terms as Superior’s mayor and was elected sheriff of Douglas County, while Grace Pattison was active in civic organizations and charities.

The 42-room Queen Anne Victorian house at 906 E. Second St. was built at a cost of $150,000, according to Superior Public Museums. That’s more than $4 million in today’s dollars.

After her husband’s sudden death in 1918, Grace Pattison moved to California and deeded the house to the Superior Children’s Home and Refuge Association, which had operated a children’s home in Billings Park since 1904.

The children’s home moved to Fairlawn in 1920 and operated there until 1962, housing up to 75 children from newborns to age 16. Most of the children weren’t orphans; rather they had parents who couldn’t care for them for various reasons. More than 2,200 children lived at Fairlawn during its 42-year run.

Eventually, the Douglas County Historical Society moved into the home and stayed there until 1999.

Restoration work began in the 1990s, and today the home is open for tours and special events.

The mansion’s first floor, which has been fully restored, features gilded murals, a grand entrance hall and open staircase, marble and tile fireplaces and original leaded and stained-glass windows.

The second floor includes family bedrooms that are furnished much as they were during the Pattisons’ time at the house. The third-floor displays, including what once was the mansion’s ballroom, are dedicated to the Fairlawn’s era as a children’s home.

Fairlawn also features a tower that runs from the basement to a lookout above the third floor, and it once included a pool and a bowling alley. u