JAMES J. HILL HOUSE
James J. Hill built a house that symbolized success, but one that also suited him and his family. He rejected stained-glass window designs by Tiffany and Company, saying they were "anything but what I want," and even replaced the architects when they ignored his orders to the stonecutters. He instructed his Boston interior design firm Irving and Casson to finish the project. Their work included a large number of custom furniture pieces on the first and second floors.
Completed in 1891, the mansion was the largest and most expensive home in Minnesota. It contained 36,500 square feet on five floors including 13 bathrooms, 22 fireplaces, 16 cut-glass chandeliers, a two-story skylit art gallery, an 88-foot reception hall, and a profusion of elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork. It also boasted a three-story pipe organ created by renowned Boston organ-maker, George Hutchings. Sophisticated mechanical systems throughout the mansion provided central heating, gas and electric lighting, plumbing, ventilation, security, and communication. The final cost totaled $931,275.01 including construction, furnishings, and landscaping for the three-acre estate.
The house was owned by : James Jerome Hill
The architect was : Mark Fitzpatrick
SUMMIT AVE,
ST.PAUL
The people
who lived on summit avenue, and the ones who live in these houses today, are
the wealthy. The upkeep on these homes is very expensive, and the tax alone on
a house on Summit avenue is nearly $30,000 a year.
I think the most common style of
house on this street is probably Queen Anne.
I don’t think
I really have a favorite I like them all so much. They are all so pretty, and I
love the antiqueness of them. I’ve always wanted to live in a cool house like
these. But they are so expensive!
INTERNATIONAL MARKET SQUARE
Before 1915 After
The international Market Square was originally a factory. Undergarments continued to be produced
in the Glenwood Avenue plant until 1980. In 1981 Munsingwear halted
manufacturing at the Minneapolis plant and transferred operations to other
locations. Machinery was gathered up and shipped elsewhere. The factory buildings
were cleaned and dismantled. An atrium was created to connect the buildings and
create an interior space out of the railroad loading and unloading site. The
actual structure of the plant complex has been changed little after the last
major building was finished in 1915, and the exterior of the
International Market Square appears much the same as it did back in 1915. In
1985 the old Musingwear Inc. building became International Market Square (IMS),
it is Minnesota's largest renovated building. IMS is a showplace for home,
office, and commercial furnishings and accessories. International Market
Square's primary function is to serve professional designers, architects,
specifiers, contractors, builders, and their clients. Providing quick access to
information on new trends, patterns and services. IMS has 70 plus showrooms to
showcase new high class design features. Their inventory includes virtually
every single item for the home or office environment. It was the first design
center anywhere to include architectural buildings products like brick, tile
and moldings with home and office furniture and accessories. The building also
includes 96 residential lofts that can be viewed at www.imslofts.com
