From the category archives:

St Paul

Old Carriage House

A street easily overlooked in Saint Paul is Irvine Avenue. It is located “below” Summit Avenue, and you can look up to see the back sides of the most expensive historic homes on Summit. A few great finds are some of the remaining carriage houses of these massive homes.. Some have been saved and converted to single family residences or condo units, but others, like the fantastic ruins pictured above are slowing decaying away.

This old carriage house sits behind 332 Summit Avenue…you can see what it used to look like, as of 1950, from this photo. It is a protected historic structure so any future plan to restore or demolish the building would have to meet Preservation Committee approval.

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April Home Tour in the Twin Cities

Environmentally-Friendly Victorian Home to Be Showcased At Minneapolis/St. Paul Home Tour

At 95 Mackubin Street, in the Ramsey Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, one historic Victorian house is receiving an earth-friendly modernization. Green remodeling expert Building Arts will showcase the project at this April’s Minneapolis/St. Paul Home Tour.

A pilot project for Minnesota GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling, this home features geothermal heating and cooling, recycled flooring, Marvin Low E windows, energy-saving appliances, closed-cell foam insulation, and other innovative, earth-conscious elements. The floor plan has also been updated for contemporary living, with abundant natural light and an open plan for ventilation.

From concept through construction, Building Arts dedicates itself to creating spaces that reflect their owners and honor the environment. A local, full service residential remodeling company, Building Arts has always operated with a focus on sustainable construction.

Harvey Sherman, owner of Building Arts, has worked in the design and building industry for over 25 years as an architect, teacher, and residential remodeling contractor. Sherman takes his work and his dedication to the environment seriously. On this project, Sherman says the intent is “to bring the home up to date with current green thinking.”

Last year, more than 5,300 people visited the Home Tour, and success is expected again this year at this free, self-guided event. The Tour runs on April 26th and 27th, from 10 to 5 on Saturday and 1 to 5 on Sunday. Learn more at http://www.msphometour.com/ and visit http://www.building-arts.net/ for contact information, project photos and more.

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Good News for 2008 Taxes in Twin Cities

The provision that allowed Hennepin and Ramsey counties to collect additional State Deed Tax and Mortgage Registration Tax expired on January 1, 2008. There was a provision to continue the increased rates proposed last year which was vetoed by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The result: Hennepin and Ramsey counties are now in sync with the rest of Minnesota counties in charging $3.30/1,000 for State Deed Tax and $2.30/1,000 for Mortgage Registration Tax.

With the slow down in the market that is sure to continue into 2008, this is welcome news for home owners in the process of selling their Minneapolis home this year.

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Saint Paul Wins HGTV Contest

In case you missed the Rose Bowl parade today which announced the four winners of the Change the World.Start at Home contest, Saint Paul has won the popular vote. Saint Paul will have three projects featured and completed in late April of 2008.

Now what they need is volunteers! If you would like to volunteer to help on one of the three projects, visit this website to offer your services. This is a fantastic opportunity for our community to show just what “Minnesota Nice” is all about!

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Cast Your Vote to Get St Paul on the Map

St Paul has the chance to win the opportunity for HGTV to come to town and help three local improvement projects take flight through their new television program Change the World. Start at Home. Nine cities across the country are competing for life-transforming assistance – and viewers will decide through voting. Votes can be cast through December 21 at their website.

Click here to VOTE SAINT PAUL

According to the Historic Saint Paul website :

The Saint Paul projects feature a mix of historic preservation, community, education, and environmental improvement, including:

  • Helping a deserving family with an unfinished home renovation. After her husband passed away 18 months ago, Kris Nelson’s dreams of restoring their three-story Victorian era home were put on hold. She and her two sons hope to be able to complete their home with a help from HGTV, Rebuilding Together and the National Trust for Historic Preservation;
  • Transforming the grounds of the Wilder Recreation Center/City Academy. The WPA building was designed by Saint Paul City Architect Clarence (“Cap”) Wigington, the country’s first African American municipal architect. School administrators at City Academy building teach their students the importance of giving back to the community through volunteering and caring for the environment. Without a much-needed facelift, the growth of the school and neighboring community center is stunted by space and environmental limitations;
  • Restoring and interpreting the ecological and cultural resources in the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary, a Mississippi River area open space just east of downtown Saint Paul that includes remnants of our industrial and indigenous history. Though the park has come a long way since its days as a contaminated rail yard, there is still much to be done and it remains a work in progress.

So make sure to cast your vote for local historic preservation by visiting HGTV and casting your vote. You can vote once a day!

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F is for Photo

The Conservatory at Como Park, in St. Paul, is a beautiful glass masterpiece and holds seven gardens.

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Summit Avenue Historic Home #27

This weeks showcase Historic Home in St Paul is 271 Summit Avenue.

Built in 1882, this home was commissioned by Joshua Sanders, but not as seen. The original home, from my research, was a one and a half story home that cost $5000 to build. When Sanders sold the home in 1887, the new owner, Emerson Peet, added a $7000 addition, which is the current home we see today.

Ernest Sandeen describes this home as a Tuscan Villa. The term is not widely used today for most homes of this style are lumped into the Italianate or Second Empire architectural group. Maybe because the home is simple in its design is one of the reasons it is hard to define. Not too much has changed about the home over the century of its existence. If you look closely at this photo taken in 1888, you can see that the central tower has a third story window in the roof, which has since been removed. Also, the second story porch on the left side of the home has been enclosed.

The current owners have been in the home for some time and the home is currently zoned as apartments.

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Walking a few Miles in My Shoes

I took the weekend off today, from clients, and spent this afternoon on the Ramsey Hill Historic Home Tour. I walked all over the historic home area and saw 16 homes, including the St Paul Cathedral. Yes, my feet hurt, but it was a beautiful day and I wanted the exercise. It looked to be a success as there were tons of people out.

Even though my blogs are about Minneapolis, one of my specialties is historic homes, no matter where they are. So it is my job to know the historic home areas in Minneapolis, St Paul, and the surrounding towns. Viewing homes on tours, or as soon as they list for sale, is the best way for me to know the historic inventory. It doesn’t matter if they are million dollar luxury homes, or small little Arts and Crafts bungalow, as a historic home expert, I need to know what they look like.

It’s not all work though on these long walks, as I truly love old homes. I get to enjoy all the great architecture. Another great thing about the historic districts in Minneapolis and St Paul is that the neighborhoods have giant trees that line the streets. Sometimes it is hard to get a good photo of a home because the trees get in the way, like the home pictured above. When you walk down one of these old streets, you can almost imagine it being home.

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Historic Home Tour of St Paul

The Ramsey Hill Association will be hosting the 2007 tour of Historic Homes in St Paul on Sunday, September 16th. Tour hours are for one day only, from 11 am to 5 pm.

This year the Tour will be taking on a special theme:

“Decades of Design: 150 Years of Ramsey Hill Architecture” and will offer a decade by decade walking tour of homes in this historic neighborhood. Not just a historic tour of the oldest homes, this tour will give an excellent example of how architecture has changed during our lifetime.
Ticket prices are $20 per person and can be bought online at the Association’s website. Proceeds go to the restoration of Lookout Park, crime prevention, park beautification and neighborhood grants to community organizations including the Walker West Music Academy, Saint Paul Urban Tennis League and the YWCA’s We Care for Kids program.

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Don’t Miss the Pond and Landscape Tour

This is the last weekend you can attend the Twin Cities Pond and Landscape Tour, so make sure not to miss it. Tickets are $20 per person and children under 12 are free. 100% of ticket sales benefit the Children’s Cancer Research Fund and the Minnesota Water Garden Society.

Last weekend the tour viewed properties on the north side of the 394/94. This weekend, July 28-29, the tour will focus on properties south side of Minneapolis and St Paul. Tickets can be purchased online. Once you order online, you will be provided a list of homes on the tour.
The tour is self-guided so view at your leisure between 10-5 pm.

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