The Smith-Douglas-More House

This is what it looks like when a historic home is thoughtfully preserved, supported by their community and adapted by talented designers and business owners. 

Smith’s Coffee is named after the original owner of the 1877 farmhouse it calls home. Their logo even uses the handwritten signature of their namesake, the original owner of the home, Sheldon Smith.

Sheldon and Mary came to Minnesota around 1856. After they built their home in Eden Prairie, the Smith home was a busy place. The train ran right over their land and the depot was just to the south. The family took in the newly arrived travelers and boarders. Sheldon also worked as the depot agent and ran the telegraph office. 

The Smiths had three daughters, but only their oldest, Amie, survived into adulthood.  At 14 years old, Amie started working in the Depot with her father, running the telegraph office.

When Amie married Frank Douglas, they moved to Helena, Montana. After the tragic loss of both her husband and daughter, she returned home with her son, Sheldon - named after her father. She expanded the farm and took over her father’s role as station agent and teaching telegraphy. 

Sheldon grew up to serve in the army during WWI and became the first chairman of Eden Prairie’s school board. In the 1920s, Sheldon negotiated the consolidation of the various one-room schoolhouses into one. The new Consolidated school building was built on part of the Smith farm and still stands today - now used as part of the administration building. 

After his mother’s death in 1950, Sheldon sold the farm to Earl and Helen More. They added a kitchen onto the back of the house and added indoor plumbing and electricity. Earl also added the six-paneled, stained glass windows in the parlor. 

Planning ahead, the Mores sold the house to the city in 1981, but continued to live there until 1999. In 2002, the city approved plans for adaptive reuse of the home and MacDonald & Mack completed an award-winning redesign. 

Timeline created by Katie Qualey for the Eden Prairie Historical Society

Today, the coffee shop is owned by a local family and serves as a popular work and meeting space. Bocce ball courts, a pretty gazebo and outdoor patio shaded by nearly 150 year-old grape vines make it as welcoming as the Smith family did themselves.