This weeks featured Historic Home in St Paul is 649 Summit Ave.
Built in 1874 by A G Manson, the home is a fantastic representation of Second Empire architectural design. Out of the four Second Empire homes built on Summit Avenue between 1867-1883, this is the only one still standing. Major features that distinguish this style are the Mansard roof with many dormers, brackets at the eaves, paired entry doors, and cresting along the roof line.
The home sits on a beautiful third of an acre with a very simple but elegant landscape design. This home was at one time used as a Funeral Home, circa 1920. It was recently sold in late 2004 for $1,125,000. With about 4200 square feet, the home has 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. The previous owners restored the home to much of its original splendor, while making it more functional for modern times, ie. new kitchen, central air etc. The backyard has also been newly landscaped and it the perfect retreat. Definitely a gem on the avenue!
The photo taken in 1919 shows that there was a small second story porch on the East side of the home which has since been removed. The other photo, taken in 1973, shows that both the upper and lower porch were removed. Sometime since then, the owners have brought back the lower porch which is designed similar to the orginal. It is always nice to see the character of a historic home returned!
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