Daniel F. Akin House

19185 Akin Road

The historic Daniel F. Akin House is a two-story
stone farmhouse with a gently sloped hip roof, a wide front porch and a roof-top cupola, built ca. 1860.
The house exhibits many characteristics historically associated with the Italian Villa (also called Italianate) style. Moreover, it shows the influence of 19th century pattern book designs, particularly the concepts espoused by Andrew Jackson Downing’s Architecture of Country Homes (1850).
The house was built from locally produced, handcrafter materials, and the quality of stonework and carpentry is indicative of the work of one or more skilled artisans.
Daniel Akin was a native of New York and a graduate of Yale University who immigrated to Minnesota in
1856 and was employed as a land surveyor. But he soon turned to agriculture for his livelihood. Akin was a progressive farmer of his time and one of the first apple growers in Dakota County. He served as president of the county agricultural society during the 1870s. His work in agricultural science extended into the fields of meteorology and climatology, where he served as a weather observer and provided data to the US
Weather Bureau.
The historic property now occupies about 3 acres and is surrounded on all sides by suburban residential development. The Akin House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Designated on 05/03/04