Emil J. Oberhoffer House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

From the record

“Oberhoffer House is a historic house in Lakeville, Minnesota, United States, overlooking Orchard Lake. Emil Oberhoffer was the founder and first conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra.”
Wikipedia article Emil J. Oberhoffer House, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 40 National Register listings published here for Dakota County · listed in 1979 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Listed as. Oberhoffer, Emil J., House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
Address. 17020 Judicial Rd., W., Lakeville, 55044
When was it listed? December 1979
Category. building
City. Lakeville city
Architectural style. Prairie School architecture
Architect. Purcell & Elmslie
National Register reference number. 79001232 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

6,768 words

The chapter on Lakeville City in History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, published 1881 names Lakeville. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

In 1855, Mr. Brackett began to lay the foundations of a town by causing two hundred and fifty acres of land in sections 29 and 30, to be surveyed and platted by Mr. Turpin. He called the place Lakeville on account of its proximity to a pretty little sheet of water. Soon after, he sold a half interest to Charles F. Crehon. When the town was laid out, it embraced within its limits. Mr. Brackett's house. This, then, became the first house in the village of Lakeville. The news soon spread, and men with an eye to business began to be attracted to the new town. Mr. Connelly first appeared on the scene, and opened a general store with a full line of goods, such as were needed by the inhabitants in those days. His place of business was in G. F. Ackley's old log cabin where he remained for a time, and was then succeeded by Jabez Smith. He also soon after sold out to a young man named Perry, who in turn, sold out to Torrey and Bradbury. We know not the reason why each merchant made his stay in the new village so short, whether, because the business did not prove so successful as he expected, or because the spirit of adventure and gain lured him to fresh fields of endeavor.

Passage source: History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, published 1881.

In 1857, Martin Dalton opened a saloon, and J. J. Hartig started a shoemaker's shop. In the same year several settlers built houses, and the town in 1858, was in a flourishing condition. At this time there arose a difficulty in obtaining good titles to the lots on account of the decision of Commissioner Hendricks in regard to the claims of the mail contractors. Although, as previously stated, this was finally decided in Mr. Brackett's favor, and the titles were all made good, yet by this time, the business current had changed its direction, and was setting strongly in favor of Farmington, and it was too late for the village of Lakeville to recover its lost strength.

Passage source: History of Dakota County and the City of Hastings, Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota, published 1881.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Lakeville City - 6,768 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Fires near this property

2 since 2013

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Emil J. Oberhoffer House in 2013, burning about 8 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Equipment and vehicle use	1
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
5 August 2013	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	LOUISVILLE SWAMP
27 April 2013	Equipment and vehicle use	8.0 acres	Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge	WAGON WHEEL

Every fire recorded in Dakota County

Mines and quarries near this property

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Emil J. Oberhoffer House: 2 producers, 2 unknowns. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Casperson Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Lakeville Pit & Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Mva Pit & Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Northwestern Sand & Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown

Every working recorded in Dakota County

Storms near this property

60 of 83 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lakeville, the town this property stands in, in 83 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 43 hail, 28 thunderstorm wind, 6 heavy rain, 2 tornado. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
August 2020	Lightning	Lakeville	3 hurt, $10,000	A lightning bolt struck a park shelter where 40 people were attending a birthday party. Three individuals were injured, but with non-life-threatening injuries.
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$4,500,000	no account filed
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$1,000,000	Over 100 homes and cars were damaged due to falling debris from winds up to 70 mph around Lakeville. In addition, the Lakeville airport had several planes flipped over.
August 2022	Tornado (EF0)	Lakeville	$500,000	A NWS Storm Survey concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down near the intersection of Jacquara Avenue and 161st Street West, and moved north-northeast across Crystal Lake, and then lifted near Crystal Beach. Several homes had damage (mainly roof damage) which occurred as multiple large trees were either uprooted or blown down along the tornado's path. The maximum width was 100 yards with a peak wind of 75 mph.
July 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$100,000	A severe squall line produced significant tree and power line damage across Dakota County from near the Scott, Dakota County border, through Lakeville, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and to Coates. Numerous large trees and tree limbs were blown down with some power outages. A few private weather stations measured wind speeds of 45 to 55 mph. One private weather station had a measured wind gust of 61 knots in Lakeville.
August 2006	Lightning	Lakeville	$100,000	Lightning struck a house that was under construction. The fire destroyed the house.
August 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$15,000	Several large trees blew down in north Farmington, some that caused damage to homes. There were also pictures on social media of large tree limbs blown down near Lake Marion.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$10,000	Large windows were blown in at a local supermarket.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$10,000	Several large trees and power lines were blown down near Lakeville, Minnesota.
August 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$5,000	Initial downburst caused a few large trees to blown down on Jatos Circle, south of 162nd Street West. The damage was isolated to this area, but a tornado did touch down approximately 1/4 of a mile northeast of this location where the damage was more widespread and concentrated along the tornado's path.
September 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	$500	A large tree branch was blown down in Lakeville.
June 2025	Hail	Lakeville	-	Hail ranging from half inch to penny sized in Lakeville.
September 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Several trees were uprooted near I-35, south of the old Burnsville Center.
June 2020	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	There was a 12 hour rainfall report near Lakeville of 5.40 inches.
June 2020	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	There was a 12 hour rainfall report near Burnsville of 5.55 inches.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Several large tree branches were blown down in Apple Valley.
July 2019	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	A local observer measured 3.20 inches of rainfall near Lakeville.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A few trees were snapped in Lakeville.
July 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A few trees were blown down near Lakeville.
July 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A trained spotter provided photos of tree damage on Twitter.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A large tree was blown down in Lakeville.
August 2016	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	A measured rainfall report of 3.10 inches occurred in Lakeville.
August 2016	Flash Flood	Lakeville	-	One to two feet of flowing water occurred near the intersection of Pennock and Highway 42 in Apple Valley.
August 2016	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	A measured rainfall report of 3.15 inches occurred north of Lakeville.
August 2016	Flash Flood	Lakeville	-	A storm spotter observed one to two feet of rushing water near in the intersection of Cedar and Dodd Road in Lakeville.
May 2014	Hail	Lakeville	-	There were several reports of dime to nickel size hail between Apple Valley and Rosemount, with the largest measured at quarter size.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Light poles were blown down north of Lakeville.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A large tree was blown down between Lakeville and Apple Valley.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Several large trees were blown down in the Oak Shores Drive area, east of Buck Hill.
July 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Several large tree limbs, up to 6 inches in diameter, were blown down near Cedar Ave and 160th Street.
August 2013	Hail	Lakeville	-	Hail occurred at County Road 50, and Ipava Avenue in Lakeville.
August 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A few large trees and power lines were blown down around Lakeville.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	A fifty foot diameter tree was snapped off at the base.
June 2012	Heavy Rain	Lakeville	-	An observer measured 3.06 inches of rainfall in the last 24 hours.
May 2011	Hail	Lakeville	-	Occurred at the intersection of Interstate 35 and County Road 46.
May 2011	Hail	Lakeville	-	Hail fell at the corner of Cedar Avenue and Dodd Road.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	More then 20 trees downed in a residential area of Lakeville near the\|intersection of Highview and Co. Road 46. Trees felled were up to 1 foot in diameter. Privacy fences also blown down.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Tree and roof damage South of 160th st. and Flagstaff Avenue intersection.
August 2007	Hail	Lakeville	-	At intersection of County Road 46 and 165th St.
August 2007	Hail	Lakeville	-	At I-35W and County Road 5.
October 2006	Hail	Lakeville	-	Hail occurred at intersection of I-35 and Highway 70.
June 2005	Hail	Lakeville	-	Penny sized hail fell at the intersection of County Road 2 and Interstate 35.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Large trees were downed in a corridor stretching from the southern edge of Lake Marion to the southern half of Lakeville. A few trees fell onto homes, cars, and power lines. City officials reported the loss of 50 boulevard trees and damage to limbs on hundreds of others in town. Seventeen large trees were lost in Aronson and Antlers Park and at the Lakeville Area Arts Center. A 10-foot-tall white fence was blown down.
April 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Two barns lost their roofs, a silo was pushed over, several outbuildings were damaged, and trees were downed.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Construction barrier blown over.
September 2001	Tornado (F0)	Lakeville	-	Tornado touched down just south of Crystal Lake, or just to the east of I-35 and County Road 46. A few trees toppled, patio furniture tossed around. Small amount of siding ripped off house.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Large trees blown down. Structural damage to homes. Estimated windspeed.
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	2 foot diameter trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
June 1995	Hail	Lakeville	-	Winds lifted the roof off of a building
August 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Lakeville	-	Strong thunderstorm winds blew down a wall of a building at a construction site near Lakeville.
August 2025	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
June 2025	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
July 2025	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
July 2023	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
May 2022	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
June 2021	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
June 2020	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
September 2020	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed
June 2019	Hail	Lakeville	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Dakota County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

2 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph	Property	Distance	Listed
	Minneapolis St. Paul Rochester & Dubuque Electric Traction Company Depot	1.6 miles	1979
	Daniel F. Akin House	7.5 miles	1979

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 79001232 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Dakota County	All 40 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.