Photo Credit: Kate Scott, Black Box Images

The Historic Hewson House at 2008 Pillsbury Ave. S., Minneapolis, a 2010 10 Most Endangered site, will be open to Preservation Alliance members for one day only on Thursday, September 9th. The event is sponsored by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, Whittier Alliance, and Bell Mortgage. The open house will allow neighborhood residents and preservation supporters to see firsthand the pre-restoration condition of this historic house, built in 1905.

The Hewson House was built in 1905, designed by Minneapolis architects Kees and Colburn with interior design by John S. Bradstreet. During the summer of 2009, the house became the victim of foreclosure, and an attempt to remove decorative interior finishes and fixtures was thwarted only at the last minute, when the lender, TCF Bank, intervened. For much of the past year, the house has been vacant and listed for sale. In April, a tile mural valued at $150,000 was stolen from the property. Presently, the house is under interim design review protection while it is being considered for landmark designation by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission.

The Hewson House requires significant repairs to the roof, mechanical system, plumbing, and exterior envelope. Preliminary estimates for the rehabilitation are in the range of $200,000-300,000, beyond what most homeowners can afford. In an effort to return the house to viability as a single-family residence, Bell Mortgage recently purchased the Hewson House from TCF. Bell will finance the necessary repairs and renovation before presenting the house for sale at cost. The Preservation Alliance and the Whittier Alliance will assist in the effort by advising on preservation priorities, developing a plan of action, and facilitating the renovation work. Rehabilitation is expected to be completed by late spring, 2011.

The Hewson House will be open for self-guided tours from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9, 2010. Attendance is limited to Whittier residents, businesses, and property owners, and members of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. PAM memberships begin at $40 and may be purchased at the door, or in advance at www.mnpreservation.org/get-involved/join/

About Bell Mortgage

Bell Mortgage, the oldest and largest independent mortgage banking company in Minnesota and one of the largest in the nation, has a long history of intervening on behalf of significant historic properties. Through the efforts of CEO Gary Kirt, Bell Mortgage has supported the Twin Cities Boys and Girls Clubs and Simpson Housing Services. The Bell House, a historic mansion at 2100 Pillsbury Ave. S. on the same block as the Hewson House, was donated to Simpson Housing Services by Gary Kirt and Bell Mortgage for use as the non-profit’s administrative headquarters. Most recently, Bell financed the restoration of the Big Fish, a roadside landmark in Bena, MN that was listed on PAM’s 10 Most Endangered list in 2009.

About the Whittier Alliance

The Whittier Alliance is the officially recognized citizen-participation organization for Minneapolis’s Whittier neighborhood, which is bounded by Franklin Avenue to the north, Interstate 35W to the east, Lyndale Avenue South to the west, and Lake Street to the south. Anchored on one side by the Washburn-Fair Oaks Historic District and on the other by Eat Street, the neighborhood contains a diverse collection of buildings and businesses that create a rich, urban environment only one mile south of downtown. The Whittier Alliance is nearing completion on a historic preservation action plan that includes an updated historic context study and historic preservation design guidelines.

Tickets are available at Fitger’s (600 East Superior Street, Duluth) beginning at 10:00 A.M.  on the day of the tour (cash and checks only) and are still  just $15.00 each.

Because they have sold out in the past, if you would like tickets set aside, please let Dennis Lamkin know via email (dennis.lamkin@usbank.com) and you can pick them up the day of.

What if you could create an entire neighborhood that is self sustaining – within an existing city? A holistic urban infrastructure supporting residential, commercial, hospitality, and cultural uses.

The Unauthorized Design series is taking on Schmidt Brewery and Island Station as the site location to create our own self-sustaining environment. Take this opportunity to exercise your design passions unbounded by client expectations and budget. You control the program for the site so take the kind of design liberties you wish real life would allow.

Unauthorized Design gives the profession an opportunity to influence public debate about what to build. We are not providing free design services but, we are showcasing the talents of architects by being seen in public creating and re-creating solutions for people who generally have little idea how design
happens.

At the end of the day when the public, press and politicians show up, we’ll have a dandy discussion.

Saturday, September 25th
8:30AM to 4:30PM
Schmidt Brewery Ratskeller
West Seventh Street
Saint Paul, MN 55116

For more information

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Pence Building
800 Hennepin Avenue

Join us for a tour of the historic Pence Building, a National Register-listed property on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. Built in 1909 by auto dealer Harry Pence, this eight-story building housed a variety of services for Buick-brand automobiles. Buicks were assembled on the upper floors, serviced on other floors, and sold in a showroom on the first floor. Since 2008, the Pence Building has been undergoing a historic rehabilitation that includes a variety of new tenants. We’ll have the opportunity to see the new tenant spaces throughout the building and learn more about the historic rehabilitation project. Parking is available at meters on neighboring streets, at pay lots around the building, and in public parking ramps along South Eighth Street. This event is free! Click here for a map.

Be one of the first to celebrate the upcoming restoration of St. Paul’s historic Union Depot scheduled to reopen for passenger rail service in 2012. Tickets are $50 per person for Alliance members and $60 per person for non-members.

Pricing Structure

Member $50.00 Non-Member $60.00

Introducing the PAM-o-rama 2010 Tours!

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is proud to present PAM-o-rama! – our annual series of mini-tours focusing on historic preservation across the state. Explore the preservation of mid-century modern from four distinct perspectives: take a stroll through St. Louis Park’s “Miracle Mile” shopping center, learn about the utopian Lustron houses, throw a strike at a retro bowling alley, and spend a day perusing the modernism of Eero Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright in Rochester.

Lustron Utopia – Saturday, August 21, 2010
In 1949, “the house America has been waiting for” arrived in south Minneapolis. The steel manufactured Lustron house was maintenance-free, cost less than 10,000 dollars, and could be erected on-site in less than a week. The pastel exteriors never needed painting; the efficient interiors offered clever built-ins, such as a combination dishwasher-clothes washer. The prefabricated Lustron was the brainchild of Carl Strandlund, an engineering visionary with ties to Minnesota. His unique version of the “home of the future” was meant to help solve the post-World War II housing crisis AND revolutionize American life. But politics, financial problems, government corruption, and bad press doomed Strandlund’s dream. Come learn about his rise and fall and the amazing story of the lovable Lustron. Then we’ll stroll over to Nicollet Avenue to the largest grouping of Lustrons in Minnesota and see what makes them so special.  Guide: Ann Meyer

Tour begins at 10:00 am, meet at the Washburn Library is 5244 South Lyndale Avenue, Minneapolis.

Strike! – Saturday, October 16, 2010
Bowl your way through modern entertainment at Elsie’s in Minneapolis.

Rochester Modernism – Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tour Saarinen’s 1958 IBM headquarters and see other modern architecture in Rochester.

Tickets: $10/$15 per person or attend all 4 for $30/$40 (member/non-member). Tours will be from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, except Rochester.

To Register:
Register Online

Members

Miracle Mile – April 17 $10.00 Lustron Utopia – August 21 $10.00 Strike! – October 16 $10.00 Rochester – November 6 $10.00 All 4 Tours $30.00

Non-members

Miracle Mile – April 17 $15.00 Lustron Utopia – August 21 $15.00 Strike! – October 16 $15.00 Rochester – November 6 $15.00 All 4 Tours $40.00

OR

Call the Alliance at 651.293.9047 x2

The 2010 PAM-o-rama tours are sponsored by a generous donation from the Henry Luce Foundation and TrustModern, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

If you have any questions about this event, contact the Alliance at 651.293.9047.