Eastwood Park Reporter
Minot, North Dakota
Est. 1991
July 1992
Vol 2, No 7
Nermyrs' Tudor Revival Home Enchants
By Kay Cameron
The home now owned by Glenn and Luella Nermyr at 207 7th Street SE was built around 1930 for a family named Sorsky who owned Goldberg's Furniture.
In 1942, the Al Epstein family bought the home from the Sorskys. They added a room at the back for Mr. Epstein to smoke his cigars. This room is now used as a main floor laundry room and back porch.
The Epsteins owned the home until 1949 when they sold it to Dr. and Mrs William Hurly. They lived in the home until 1955 when Dr. and Mrs. Vern Nyre purchased it. In 1968, Glenn and Luella Nermyr bought this unique home.
The architecture of this Tudor Revival home was greatly influenced by Hollywood. When you look at this charming home, you may feel that you just stepped into a land of enchanted fairy tales. The magic does not stop when you walk in the front door. You will find that through an entry is a living room with a fire place, hardwood floors, built-in bookcases and a window set built by Nyre's father. This well built home has beautiful mahogany woodwork throughout. The main floor also contains a formal dining area, large eat-in kitchen, laundry room, master bedroom and a bathroom that has unique ceramic tile throughout. The second floor contains two bedrooms, a small craft area and another bathroom.
The house casts a spell over the occupants that remains long after they move out. People that used to live in the home occasionally stop by to reminisce.
Eastwood Park Association News
By LeAnn Derby, President
At the last meeting of the Eastwood Park Historic District Neighborhood Association, we discussed moving the causeway fence down the slope to just outside the stone rubble. This gives us more room for landscaping, hides the fence completely and provides greater security by preventing access to the river side of the fence. Bob Amptman, the city engineer, is in favor and the work should be done in a few weeks.
There is also growing interest in replacing the walking bridge to the park. We'll be discussing this with Betty Ann Bierle from the National Historic Trust when she visits sometime this summer.
We are starting to plan a neighborhood potluck picnic for Sunday, September 13th. Keep that in mind.
The next meeting of the Association will be on July 20 at 7:30. The meeting will be held at the home of Dan and LeAnn Derby, 215 9th Street SE.
Editor's Note: Is the Saturday before Mother's Day the best day for the Tour of Homes? The Association is considering early to mid-June so that flowers will be in bloom. If you have any comments or ideas please attend the next meeting.
The Sensible Gardener
By Shan Cunningham
It only makes sense to plant perennials. Even if you have to buy them, you only have to buy them once. There is a second and more subtle advantage to perennial gardening. While most annuals require full sun to do well, perennials can be found that will thrive in a wide variety of environments. Growing the right plant in the right place is the first step in creating a sensible garden.
Sun, shade, partial shade; in order to determine what to plant where, these terms must be understood. Even when perennials are said to require full sun, this does not mean that they need sun for the entire day, especially here in North Dakota where that `day' is sixteen hours long. Only our native prairie plants can tolerate that much sun. Most garden perennials will appreciate some protection from intense sunlight.
Full sun means at least eight hours of sunlight. The time of day that the direct sun occurs is also important. A position that receives the morning sun and is then shaded thereafter is far different from one that receives only the afternoon sun. Consider the first case to be partial shade and the second to be full sun. Morning and late afternoon sun with shade during the mid-day is also a full sun location.
The real difficulty is in understanding the various degrees of shade. Partial shade is already defined to mean several hours of morning sun, add to that a location that receives good sun in the spring and is then shaded lightly by trees for the rest of the year. The two remaining categories are shade and deep shade. Here is where the grass grows poorly if at all. Deep shade is the north side of the house where the shadow is clearly defined. In the shade, a hand held eighteen inches above the ground will cast a bit of a shadow.
We have now created a sunlight spectrum. Every species of plant is adapted to grow somewhere along this spectrum. It will be at its best in a fairly narrow range. It will survive over a somewhat broader range and will absolutely die if planted at one extreme or the other. We have also created a numerical scale that can be of some value as long as we don't take it too seriously.
Since now is the best time to transplant bearded iris, we might as well put some of this theory into practice. A solid eight on the sunlight scale, bearded iris will grow in any soil short of gumbo clay and once established, needs very little water beyond average rainfall. Bearded iris comes in three sizes: dwarf, intermediate and tall. They bloom in that same order; beginning in late May and finishing up before the beginning of July. While they come in a variety of solid and bi-tone colors, talking your neighbor out of one that isn't purple may take some doing.
Examine your quarry for a moment. Notice that the leaves are growing from one end of a creeping rootstock that is partly above the ground. Since it grows only in one direction, it is possible to aim it when it is planted. It is also important not to bury the rootstock when planting. Use a digging fork to lift the entire clump. Shake off all the dirt. Notice two more items of importance. The roots grow from the bottom of the rootstock and want to grow straight down into the soil. Also, the rootstock dies back as it ages. Divide the clump by breaking or cutting off all the dead rootstock and at the same time, cut off the top one-third of the leaves. Put the new starts into paper bags. Put these in a cool, dry place to cure for at least a day. the idea is to loosen the soil deeply with a digging fork. Now make a hole with a flat-topped mountain in the center. The top of the mountain should be slightly below ground level. Place the rootstock on the flat-topped mountain with the roots spread down the sides. Fill in the hole leaving the rootstock slightly covered. Water deeply. Sit in the shade.
The Sensible Gardener's Sunlight Spectrum
10 ------------ 9 ------------ 8 ------------ 7 ----------- 6 ------------ 5 ------------ 4 ----------- 3 ------------ 2 ------------ 1
Prairie -------------------- Full Sun -------------------- Partial Shade -------------------- Shade ------------------- Deep Shade
10 - Moss Rose--------8.5 Marigold, Zinnia-------8 Bearded Iris-------7 Petunia--------5.5 Impatiens-------4 Tuberous Begonia
Homeless Program Looking For Neighborhood Comments
By Kathleen Cunningham
Rehab Services, Inc, 1421 2nd Avenue SW, is involved in numerous service programs including one for the homeless. Rehab Services operates the homeless shelter in Eastwood Park at 102 8th Street SE.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the homeless residence in Eastwood Park, you can call staff members Linda or Steve at XXX-XXXX They want your input in order to improve the homeless program.
IRS: Association Is Tax-Exempt
By Judith E. Howard
People like to support worthy causes such as Eastwood Park Historic District Neighborhood Association, Inc. with donations of money and other gifts. They like to do it even more when they can deduct their gift for federal tax purposes.
On May 11, 1992, the Association received notice from the Internal Revenue Service that the Association was exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(A) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in Section 501(C3). Donors can also make tax deductible gifts to the Association through their wills as part of their estate plan.
Many of you may know individuals who would be interested in donating to the Association because they have a special affinity for this neighborhood or because they support our purpose. They may be even more interested in remembering the Association if they were made aware that their gifts are now tax deductible. Each of us should remember to tell potential donors of tax exemptions they would be entitled to if they made a gift to the Association.
If a donor or contributor wishes to verify the Association's 501(C3) status before making a gift, please have him or her contact Judith E. Howard at XXX-XXXX.