James J Hill Mansion
Nearly all of Minnesotans and much of the nation know of or at least have heard of who James J Hill was. He was the chief of the Great Northern Railway which ran lines from St. Paul to Seattle. This allowed him to build a vast fortune. Most know of his splendid mansion on Summit Ave, but not as well known is his previous home off Lafayette Square in St. Paul.
Hill Mansion at 240 Summit Ave which is currently a museum:
While Hill had his great mansion built on Summit Ave after he made enormous wealth he lived in a smaller but no less grand Italianate mansion at 9th and Canada streets in what is now a parking lot. Hill and his wife moved into the home in 1878 and stayed there for the next 13 years until moving to Summit Avenue. By the mid 1880s the area began to be less desirable to the wealthy as railroads moved in and the proximity to downtown was too close.
Hill's gallery also soon was overflowing which may have been another reason for the move. Hill was a vast art collector. After leaving the home it was occupied by various other families before becoming vacant and finally being torn down in the 1920s.
If you like what you read or see on this blog please feel free to donate to keep the projects moving along:
Hill Mansion at 240 Summit Ave which is currently a museum:
While Hill had his great mansion built on Summit Ave after he made enormous wealth he lived in a smaller but no less grand Italianate mansion at 9th and Canada streets in what is now a parking lot. Hill and his wife moved into the home in 1878 and stayed there for the next 13 years until moving to Summit Avenue. By the mid 1880s the area began to be less desirable to the wealthy as railroads moved in and the proximity to downtown was too close.
If you like what you read or see on this blog please feel free to donate to keep the projects moving along:
Comments
Post a Comment