Diving into Architecture Outside the Classroom

Students in ARTH 3331: European Architecture & its Legacy (fall 2025), were asked to translate the questions they had been asking about architecture, patronage, built landscape, and experience to a building closer to home: Glensheen: The Historic Congdon Estate.

As a University of Minnesota Duluth property, it allows students to dive into their teachings hands-on outside a traditional classroom setting and look at history up close in its original setting. 19 students each honed in on a focused topic including Chester and Clara Congdon's Love Letters, to Glensheen's Landscape and Sustainability.

First, students explored the Glensheen Estate with Education Coordinator (Ash Howard) and Collections Manager (Milissa Brooks-Ojibway) and walked the students through the house, providing tour information and answering questions. Secondly, the students visited the Archives at UMD's Kathryn A. Martin Library to view the Congdon Family papers to provide them further research on their topics. Lastly, each student created their own blog post focusing on a particular aspect of Glensheen's design, history, and experience that interested them. To learn more about their project, visit here.