Lost Mansions of the Twin Cities: A Journey Through St. Paul & Minneapolis

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  • Опубліковано 25 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 95

  • @jelsner5077
    @jelsner5077 13 днів тому +56

    Minneapolis resident, here. A lot of Minneapolis' old mansions survive intact along the Chain of Lakes, including the iconic 'Mary Tyler Moore' house in Kenwood. Others were reimagined as businesses, museums, events centers and condos. St. Paul's Summit Avenue is considered one of America's longest avenues of surviving Victorian mansions, most of which survive today as private homes. Thanks for featuring us!

    • @HendersonHinchfinch
      @HendersonHinchfinch 11 днів тому +2

      The Kenwood area is so nice. I would love to live there

    • @jmspegel
      @jmspegel 10 днів тому +1

      Until 2030 and the homeless take over

  • @jahnemann
    @jahnemann 13 днів тому +28

    Worthy of note:
    The bluffs of Saint paul, including Indian mounds park (native burial grounds) were open to winds and the area consistently burned. The wealth made an effort to move to cathedral hill, adjacent to the James J Hill house. So the first historic area of Saint paul was 1840-1880. Around 1880, most historic buildings began being built on Summit Avenue. That area is the largest stretch of historic properties anywhere in the country. It's gorgeous

  • @lesal.1373
    @lesal.1373 13 днів тому +14

    Such a shame so many beautiful homes are gone. MPLS has a special place in my heart. I did PR for Prince in the early 80s. Thank you Ken, for all your hard work!

  • @outsidethewaxbox
    @outsidethewaxbox 10 днів тому +10

    St. Paulite here. I live not too far from the Crocus Hill neighborhood and there’s still a lot of grandeur that remains, so much so that the Hill house, while easily spotted in skyline photos, is much more unassuming when viewed in context with the other homes in the area. Irvine Park is another gem, with painted ladies and other grand structures surrounding a town square type park with a huge gazebo.
    Merriam’s Lookout, at 2 Sherburne Ave, still exists in a way. While the mansion has long since faded, there is an octagonal platform with a walkway oriented southeast toward downtown and the capitol complex, and the ruins of the staircase that ascended up the hill from University and Jackson streets still lay below it.

    • @brendamalarchik971
      @brendamalarchik971 4 дні тому

      I lived at 30 Crocus Place years ago. I loved that old mansion. Best years of my life!

  • @pigoff123
    @pigoff123 10 днів тому +3

    My father was stationed in St. Paul. We lived in White Bear Lake on Centerville Rd. I heard that the farm was torn down and a mall was built. So sad. So many memories

  • @helgaderm8439
    @helgaderm8439 10 днів тому +4

    I live in an old colonial in St.Paul. My house was built in 1896. I love it and all the mansions I live by on summit!❤

  • @katharinerasnake1119
    @katharinerasnake1119 13 днів тому +5

    There were two families my parents were friends with who each had a home on Summit Avenue in St. Paul. It was always exciting visiting both families, because their old homes were beautiful. You could tell a lot of time was put into the details of those very old mansions. Both of those families moved elsewhere when they chose to downsize. Both homes are thankfully still standing so other families can enjoy them now.

  • @searchingfortruth619
    @searchingfortruth619 12 днів тому +8

    Ive always heard how poor communities were paved over to make car-centric hellscapes. But i never heard this side, of castles being torn down for highways and city expansion. Reminds me of the history of central park in NYC, presented in a great vid on the channel "Hoog".

    • @pigoff123
      @pigoff123 10 днів тому

      My brother lived in a castle guard quarters in Germany. They made them into apartments. I remember seeing them renovating and was impressed with what was used in the walls for insolation in the 1600s

  • @lauriehall1249
    @lauriehall1249 13 днів тому +15

    What a shame that changing times dictate the destruction of such grand residences. Thank you for another great video.

    • @ivanjakanov
      @ivanjakanov 11 днів тому

      yea it seems like a huge waste when they don't even get to live in them for very long before getting demolished. meanwhile some city plans have houses packed so close they're only a few feet apart, and so many neighbors in one block that you can't even have a fire in your backyard without someone complaining about it, even if the fire pit is far enough away from any structure. and lately we've been seeing more and more buildings replaced by huge condos that no one can actually afford to live in, built by the super rich developers from far away who will never return that value to the city

    • @Joseph-fh9qe
      @Joseph-fh9qe 10 днів тому

      Condominiums near downtown Saint Paul is a picture of the 15 min cities.

  • @megabearican438
    @megabearican438 12 днів тому +5

    I lived in an old Victorian house near Washburn Fair Oaks Park and MIA for a few years. There are still a lot of amazing mansions in that neighborhood that are used for museums and events.

  • @rosepelzel4244
    @rosepelzel4244 13 днів тому +7

    Thanks, Ken, for the report of my hometown! It would be great to focus on Summit Ave and all the grand homes there! Thanks, again!!!

  • @user-lg2jm9zg6l
    @user-lg2jm9zg6l 10 днів тому +2

    You briefly showed the Turnblad mansion at the end of the video, but it's worth noting that it now houses the ASI (American Swedish Institute) and is open six days per week. Tickets are reasonable and tours are self-guided. It's a beautiful space and well worth a visit.

  • @williamtyre523
    @williamtyre523 12 днів тому +4

    Thanks for a great review of the two cities. Sad to see so much lost, but I still enjoy a stroll along St. Paul's Summit Avenue where a number of houses has survived. One of my favorites is the Lightner House at 318 Summit, designed by Cass Gilbert in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

  • @KDubOriginal
    @KDubOriginal 10 днів тому +3

    St. Paul resident here and I really wish that all of those mansions and the mighty mills would all be standing today, it makes me very sad to see such beautiful architecture go to waste. I very much loved the swan turnblad mansion, so much in fact that I would love to live in it or at least a replica of it.

  • @jahnemann
    @jahnemann 13 днів тому +21

    Seems a tad bit deceiving to not make mention to the fact that the james J hill house blends into the neighborhood and can struggle to even be seen amongst the well over 1000 historic mansions still standing alongside it. Yes, areas have been lost. But Saint Paul has many gorgeous residences remaining. It's a blessing to get to drive through them daily on my way to the office. :)

    • @tashayar75
      @tashayar75 13 днів тому +5

      Yes, Summit Avenue is known for having the longest stretch of Victorian mansions in the U.S. Also, Minneapolis is known for tearing down the old buildings to rebuild into something more modern; Saint Paul is known for preserving the past.

  • @SpartanONegative
    @SpartanONegative 13 днів тому +22

    Good morning from Osceola Wisconistan 🦅🏴‍☠️🦡 I work on those remaining mansions in the Twin Cities. Iv been doing water and mold damage restoration in MN for the last 20 years.

  • @David-tm8sl
    @David-tm8sl 13 днів тому +5

    Such a great collection of architectural wonders! Thanks for a great video ❤😊

  • @lablaine1981
    @lablaine1981 13 днів тому +9

    Remember the "old science museum,1 block North of the Capitol bldg,school tours 1955-1960... Mummy was in basement...sweetest lady in charge...field trip we all enjoyed 1955-1960☑️☑️

    • @tomnotebaart9086
      @tomnotebaart9086 11 днів тому +1

      Yes, I remember it. Seeing the mummy was an unforgettable experience for me.

    • @smooshiebear80
      @smooshiebear80 9 днів тому

      The mummy being lit up in a dark room was always so happily creepy for me as a kid in the 80’s and 90’s. The very bright white, scientific feel that it has in the new museum just isn’t the same… but that’s probably for the best. It’s a much more dignified approach.

  • @garryferrington811
    @garryferrington811 12 днів тому +6

    When James J. Hill was asked how he achieved success, he answered, "Work, hard work, and more work."

  • @SpanishEclectic
    @SpanishEclectic 13 днів тому +3

    I found a postcard in my grandmother's things (postmarked 1920), sent from a fellow teacher in North Dakota to an address on Sherbourne in St. Paul. Grandmother had grown up in Wisconsin, and curious, I Googled the address. Still standing, a cute little Victorian house with a steep roof and porch. I later found photos from the 1930s, showing family members sitting on the steps of that house. Then recently, I found out from my cousins that the house had belonged to their grandfather, my grandmother's older brother. Perhaps she lived with them for a time, or was just using it as a mailing address, but she would have seen many of these impressive mansions when she went to visit the Big City. I'm sure it was a bit of a shock after spending a year teaching on the prairies of North Dakota.

  • @OrganNLou
    @OrganNLou 13 днів тому +8

    So many cities have destroyed most of their great mansions and buildings. Very sad!

  • @mikenixon2401
    @mikenixon2401 13 днів тому +5

    Good presentation, Ken. An episode of which I did not have a clue. Thanks.

  • @karenbly3829
    @karenbly3829 13 днів тому +4

    Wow...I wish I could see all of these!!

  • @LeahGratiot
    @LeahGratiot 12 днів тому +1

    I grew up across the St Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin. I love Minneapolis, and it's so sad to see these gorgeous homes deteriorate and disappear. It's happens often and everywhere. 😢

  • @dak85016
    @dak85016 13 днів тому +4

    So sad to see these places torn down. I just think of all the expensive materials and lumber that was used and ended up where? In a landfill?

  • @whigparty6180
    @whigparty6180 13 днів тому +2

    Very interesting, thank you. 👍🏻
    Oh the countless architectural heartaches 💔 lost to the wrecking ball.

  • @andywestern7719
    @andywestern7719 13 днів тому +3

    The Twin Cities still have a few mansion districts that remain largely intact - the Lowry Hill neighborhood in Minneapolis and the Summit Hill area in Saint Paul. And Saint Paul's Summit Ave is widely regarded as the best preserved Victorian monumental boulevard in the nation. I'm a bit astonished that you haven't done an entire video exploring Summit Ave.

    • @beth68ann
      @beth68ann 13 днів тому +1

      The lake areas and Lowery Hill are still great. My husband, boy friend at the time would take me driving over there in the late 80's. He hated it but knew I loved it. I love the Summit houses also. Toured the James J Hill house with my mom after Daytons at Chistmas in the mid 80's. We went to Forepaughs for lunch.

  • @devonna6171
    @devonna6171 13 днів тому +3

    Thank you Ken for another informative video.
    Once again we see colossal palaces whose downfall is (ironically) the cost-prohibitive grandeur they initially celebrate. Reflections of their owners’ egos and lack of temperance, the mansions quickly prove to be unmanageable albatrosses to the families and communities burdened with their maintenance . Instead of moaning the inevitable loss of these lavish structures, let’s recognize the useful lessons of, 1) the folly of wanton waste and 2) the fleeting natures of fame and fortune.

    • @margaretstutzman6866
      @margaretstutzman6866 12 днів тому +1

      So well said!!

    • @ivanjakanov
      @ivanjakanov 11 днів тому

      pretty much true. but there's also bureaucrats, and the power of the government to entirely ruin people and their plans because they had new plans for the city

  • @Nakomis67
    @Nakomis67 12 днів тому +2

    In northeast MPLS there some old houses. I grew up in MPLS. Went to school with Prince. Our first house was where children hosp us now. Growing up there were so many decent original woodwork houses. Many of my friends lived in homes with the double staircase that went into the living room and kitchen.the old fashioned laundry shoots that went to the basement. Now it's sad that many houses are gone due to greedy landlords and ppl trying to make enough money for that second house in the suburbs. NE MPLS is quaint with sm houses, original woodwork and not so " developed". My 2 cents. Thank you

  • @markcarter822
    @markcarter822 13 днів тому +2

    I love historical houses and buildings of the past and their stories.
    If you enjoyed this, I would recomend a great book that I love. "Once There Were Castles". Lost mansions and estates of the Twin Cities by Larry Millet. So many photographs and stories of old mansions.

  • @two3D
    @two3D 13 днів тому +4

    I'm sitting in my apartment in the A Mill as i watch this video

    • @GreenCanvasInteriorscape
      @GreenCanvasInteriorscape 7 днів тому

      How is the street crime around there, asking for Minnetonka and a huge fan of the area and its potential

    • @two3D
      @two3D 6 днів тому

      @ I’ve been here about nine years. It’s quite low. What I hear most often are bicycles stolen from apartment buildings but really pretty quiet otherwise. I love the area.

  • @toddbraddock236
    @toddbraddock236 10 днів тому

    This was so groovy....man!!! I dig it!

  • @kimhall5863
    @kimhall5863 13 днів тому

    So interesting & heartfelt💗 I always felt there was so much more to those cities than the eye could see~thank you❣️

  • @saccharinesilk
    @saccharinesilk 13 днів тому +3

    😭 lyman daton's hair oh my god

  • @Badgerbrew
    @Badgerbrew 5 днів тому

    I love these types of historical videos, but as a resident of the Twin Cities, this could be elevated by showing what stands at these sites in present day.

  • @ji8044
    @ji8044 12 днів тому +1

    Ken that Italianate in the beginning reminded me of how few of them have survived.
    Have you ever done a video just on them alone?

  • @candykane4271
    @candykane4271 9 днів тому

    This grieves my heart. There seems to be little appreciation for history or charm or architecture in my twin cities. My relatives all lived in dumps that should’ve been taken down but weren’t. I can still drive by them.

    • @smooshiebear80
      @smooshiebear80 9 днів тому +1

      There is appreciation now, thankfully. I just wish they’d had the attitude of preserving things in past generations. The amount of fabulous architecture that demolished in the 1960’s hurts my heart.

  • @smooshiebear80
    @smooshiebear80 9 днів тому

    I’m glad that it wasn’t just poor neighborhoods that lost homes in the building of the freeways in the Twin Cities. It still isn’t right how many of the decisions were made, but at least a few wealthier families were forced to move, too. So sad that so much beautiful architecture has been lost over the last century and a half, though. I’m glad St. Paul has managed to save more of its history than Minneapolis has.

  • @RickNelsonMn
    @RickNelsonMn 8 днів тому

    This is the first time I've heard of many of my beloved Twin Cities lost treasures. Though I'm aware of some, most of these are new to me. It's awesome to see whats survived and downtown Mpls saved the Lumber Exchange Bldg with massive tree cut beams. The beams can still be seen by design.
    The Gateway Park fountain ⛲ is now in the Lyndale Gardens, Perennial Garden. Beautifully maintained acres. The Minneapolis Institute of Art got a mention, it's old entrance might have been a part of this video.
    Saint Paul has a lot of treasures still. Though obviously you've shown the changes.
    Interesting shares here by fellow residents of this great metro.
    👍🏼

    • @GreenCanvasInteriorscape
      @GreenCanvasInteriorscape 7 днів тому +1

      I didn't know that about the fountain at the rose gardens being from gateway park, I sat in the library and watched the nicollet hotel being ripped down in 1984 after moving back here oddly enough from Honolulu where I went to high school, live in Minnetonka where there's still some gems but far more destroyed than remain

    • @RickNelsonMn
      @RickNelsonMn 7 днів тому

      @GreenCanvasInteriorscape I should have been specific because I meant the fountain to the north. I didn't recall the word perennial at the time I posted and didn't mention the turtles. I think the relief figures around the stem to the top are incredibly well done. I think those figures are why it was put in the Gateway? Sorry for being unclear.
      The other is an amazing fountain too. Those stylized fish and little demons sitting around 👍🏼

  • @beth68ann
    @beth68ann 13 днів тому +1

    I grew up and live here. I can remeber my dad taking me down Park ave when I was much younger, so much gone now. Summit in St. Paul has been much better at saving their treasure, Minneapolis not so much, very sad.

  • @jakeschmidt9065
    @jakeschmidt9065 День тому

    Was bummed there was no feature of the hamms brewmasters mansion on daytons bluff built in 1886 that is still standing as an apartment. There are also tunnels underneath the neighborhood that used to connect some of the properties and were eventually used during the prohibition era as well

  • @sardond
    @sardond 10 днів тому +1

    Pretty sad actually how cities just focus on growth and in the process destroy all this and end up with congested packed together housing. I'm in the southern suburbs and have watched even these once peaceful cities grow too much into congested traffic, packed housing and far too much retail. Apple Valley comes to mind.

  • @donloughrey1615
    @donloughrey1615 13 днів тому +1

    Good.

  • @desireesliwinski3496
    @desireesliwinski3496 9 днів тому

    In St Paul, Cental Park area, what happened to the family plots/ graves when the wrecking ball came? Did they move the bodies before building new over the area?

  • @josephlarson8063
    @josephlarson8063 6 днів тому

    At the time stamp 1:11 the image of downtown Minneapolis is accidentally a mirror flip!

  • @DestinNygard
    @DestinNygard 12 днів тому

    The skyline shot at 1:03 is mirrored for some reason.

  • @DeclanMBrennan
    @DeclanMBrennan 13 днів тому

    I think they look great partly because they are not mainstream. Definitely more work though because octagons, unlike squares and rectangles are *not composable* - you can't break an octagon into smaller octagons without having odd bits left over.
    Triangles are composable but the sharp corners would be pretty unusable in rooms.

  • @NajeebKhan-e5v
    @NajeebKhan-e5v День тому

    We want a video on minneapolis millionares row

  • @monkeygraborange
    @monkeygraborange 13 днів тому +2

    Depressing

  • @zuur303
    @zuur303 13 днів тому +5

    America is a country with no memory

  • @aminahparker8415
    @aminahparker8415 12 днів тому +3

    Fascinating video,but it was difficult to listen to the narrator

  • @Vichyfarm
    @Vichyfarm 13 днів тому

    Within 23 seconds of this video, there is a photograph of men working in the street (big houses in the background)…can anyone offer an explanation as to what they are doing…appears to be a bunch of paint cans behind them or are they rolled up newspapers…any guesses?

  • @williamcordell38
    @williamcordell38 10 днів тому +1

    I WISH YOU WOULD DO SOME OF THE MANSIOS IN THE SOUTH. fOR INSTANCE THE ASTIN MANSION IN BRYAN, TEXAS WOULD BE A GREAT ONE

  • @JethroBodineWhooWee69
    @JethroBodineWhooWee69 11 днів тому

    How bout the fact that at 0:25 shows a road built of wood🧐

  • @FlatWaterFilms
    @FlatWaterFilms 7 днів тому

    Hidden in plain sight. Look at ground level, they are all buried.

  • @fouroverseven7799
    @fouroverseven7799 13 днів тому

    Washington, D.C has a millionaire’s row… it’s now known as Embassy Row.

  • @Aikynbreusov
    @Aikynbreusov 13 днів тому

    Mall America is Janet Jackson's secret hangout place.... She visit the mall once a year.... it's her homage...

  • @asylumlover
    @asylumlover 13 днів тому +2

    KEN, I HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY ILL NOW FOR JUST UNDER 24 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YET STILL, I SOMEHOW FIND SOME WHERE WITH ALL TO WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU KNOW WHERE I STAND ON THESE HORRIBLE DEMOLITIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LONG LIVE THIS HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • @YolandaMReyes
      @YolandaMReyes 13 днів тому

      Feel better

    • @asylumlover
      @asylumlover 13 днів тому

      @YolandaMReyes MESSAGE RECEIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @randolphsrants
    @randolphsrants 13 днів тому +1

    Great video except the correct word to use is passersby (Not passerbys).

  • @jetsons101
    @jetsons101 13 днів тому +2

    Must have been nice to live in a time when you could keep most of what you earned. Now ask the people in NJ or CA, for example, about high taxes. Would love to live somewhere on Summit Ave.

    • @namelessone3339
      @namelessone3339 13 днів тому +1

      Rest assured you'll pay some very high taxes on Summit Avenue.

    • @jetsons101
      @jetsons101 13 днів тому

      @@namelessone3339 I was dreaming that I might win the lottery...... LOL

  • @gandfgandf5826
    @gandfgandf5826 13 днів тому

    A "barbed wire empire"? Sounds...spiky.

  • @shoelady6457
    @shoelady6457 13 днів тому

    😁👌

  • @jenniferjones3408
    @jenniferjones3408 13 днів тому +2

    WHY SO MANY MANSIONS DESTROYED BY FIRES?.

    • @jaysverrisson1536
      @jaysverrisson1536 12 днів тому +1

      Highly combustible interiors loaded with varnished woodwork and flammable draperies, fireplaces, gas lights, kerosene lamps, no sprinkler systems, no smoke alarms, no 911 (and no phones at all in the earliest days), fire brigades of limited efficacy and response times.

  • @JoeyWoodpine69
    @JoeyWoodpine69 11 днів тому

    Mud flood.

  • @UhOK327
    @UhOK327 13 днів тому +4

    Worst annoying narrator ever

  • @Engelhafen
    @Engelhafen 9 днів тому

    Living in the Twin cities - it’s been overrun by hillbillies

  • @jill-ti7oe
    @jill-ti7oe 13 днів тому +2

    😄👍

  • @torbergman6977
    @torbergman6977 13 днів тому

    04:38 never heard untill now of "...parlours that once dominated the skyline" 😂😂😂 Damn, Manhattan is dominated by parlours. I'd let it easy with the cofeine 😉