Goodbye to Minnesota

Sunday July 5

Couldn't leave Minneapolis/St.Paul area without seeing my passion, historic homes. So headed for the Summit Ave area for a house tour of James J. Hill's 36,000 square foot (yes, you read that right) home.  He was the equivalent of the San Francisco Big Four, Stanford, Hopkins, et al.  Very wealthy and built the home to prove it in the late 1800's.

Coming off the freeway ahead of me loomed this enormous building, the Cathedral of St. Paul.  Again, not expecting it, this serendipitous moment.  Here it was Sunday morning, the bells were actually chiming for noon Mass and I could just see my Mom smiling that I would be attending Mass at last on this trip.

So of course I went in and took a pew and settled in for what had been several years since my last time at Mass anywhere.

Before Mass was over tho I could stand it no longer and had to take a picture of the inside of this beautiful cathedral.  For this I was asked to leave, but it was time to go anyway to the one o'clock house tour just down the block.

James J. Hill raised his large family of six children in this home which resembles a small hotel. As you can imagine the third floor is entirely for the large staff needed to maintain a castle of this size.

Entry hall.

Much of the furniture is original to the home as well as personal items like these.  The Hill family has given most of it to the state to be preserved as a historic landmark.

On the neighborhood walking tour that followed there were equally fabulous places, but none as large as the Hill mansion.

Three doors down from the Hill home was this very unpretentious almost cottage looking place.  I had heard a rumor that, guess who, Garrison  Keillor, lived in the neighborhood so asked the guide.  As we passed this place he nodded his head to this one, but of course said nothing about it in his talk.  One of my kids said Garrison was probably in his living room and saw me out there and closed the drapes!

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a native of St. Paul and while he was growing up his grandmother lived in an apartment in this building. He was not fond of his grandmother, nor she of him.  When she died he wrote only two sentences in his journal:  "Grandmother died today. It was her final gift."

Fitzgerald lived in several different places in the area over the years both before and after he became well known as a writer.  One of his residences is for sale now for $675K.  From the early 1900's with beautiful interior woodwork, floors, windows, etc.  You can see it on Coldwell Banker's website.  Don't know if they have bidding wars in Minnesota but in California it would bring several mill if only for it's historic value.  Fitzgerald didn't have a high opinion of the Summit Ave neighborhood.  He called the homes here  "monuments to architectural monstrosities."   I love these monstrosities.

A last stop in Minnesota at the cute little burg of Lanesboro recommended by Nancy as the place she and her sister spent a reunion recently.

Full of charm, antiques and good food.

On to Badgerland Campground in Wisconsin.....