Ramsey County History – Spring 2007: “A House of Versatile Talents: The William and Carrie Lightner Residence on Summit Avenue”

A House of Versatile Talents: The William and Carrie Lightner Residence on Summit Avenue
Author: Paul Clifford Larson

William Lightner was a prominent St. Paul attorney for fifty years. He dabbled in politics and was a big supporter of history. Born in Pennsylvania, he came to this city in 1878, married and initially lived in a duplex. As the family grew, it built a home in 1894 at 318 Summit Avenue. It was designed by a young architect, Cass Gilbert, and was the third home he had designed on this fashionable street. Like many people at the time, Lightner dealt in real estate. He had been successful but was not yet well known publicly and often struggled financially. The article includes details about the architecture of the house, Gilbert’s choices of materials for its construction, and concludes with a short history of those who lived in the house in later years.
PDF of Larson article