Carla Like It Is

House History Research

An Old Street Sign to Remember a Special Place

Kayd Roy4 Comments
Don't you love when you are in the right place at the right time?

That happened to me earlier today during a walk with the dogs when I happened to stumble upon a couple city workers that were taking down old street signs and putting up new ones.  Being the neighborhood history nerd (posts on our house history and neighborhood history) and weirdo in general that I am, I had to bother ask them, "Excuse me, what do you do with the old street signs?" and one of the workers replied with, "Do you want one?" and the other began taking apart the old sign to give to me.
This little random moment totally made my day!  

Even though it was probably TMI I told them, "My husband and I live in the first home we've ever owned on this street, so thank you, it's special to have."  I kind that might have brightened up their day a little too?  Then, with the street sign in hand I walked home grinning like an idiot :)
Maybe it seems silly to be this excited over a street sign but I'm thankful to have this sign that marks the place that became our very first home together (you know I am also a weird overly sentimental person too right?).  Whether we are here for another year, ten, or twenty-five, this home and neighborhood will always hold a special place in my heart.  Ahhh, aren't you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside too?!

Where would you put it or what would you do with it?  
Would you have asked for a sign too? 
Does anyone in Minneapolis know how old the streets signs were that just got replaced?

I don't think we can really display it anywhere since most of our walls have windows breaking up the amount of space we could place it on so I'm not really sure what or if we will do anything with it.  If you have ideas let me know!

The 'Old House Tale' & 'Skeleton Key Mystery' Continues...

Kayd Roy6 Comments
Remember the "Estate Sale With An Old House Tale" or "An Intriguing Discovery From My Estate Sale Chair" posts from a couple months ago ?  I certainly hope you remember otherwise click those links above to get up to speed because I have some follow-ups to BOTH stories!!!  I kind of have the blog to thank for that too, don't you love the power of blogging?!?! 

After writing the first post, I got an email from someone that was in the process of purchasing the home the home.  This person was very passionate about the home and wanted to make sure it was properly restored to it's original historic glory. That email made me feel kind of relieved just knowing someone that felt the way I did about that house was actually putting on offer on it! I kept my fingers crossed that it would all work out.




 A few weeks later, I got another email sharing news that their offer was accepted!  Turns out, this person is a fellow Northside resident and award winning architect!  They had their eye on the home for a while, especially after the tornado last summer.  They knew after some TLC  would be a perfect fit for their family and a place they would take a lot of pride in. 

Another bonus in addition to the whole architect + family thing... They were interested in my Skeleton Key Mystery too!  Who wouldn't be curious to see if it fits somewhere in that big house?!?!
We're still trying to coordinate a time when I can stop over with the key, so that is where we are at for now.  As you can imagine, the new owners are pretty busy now!  They also shared with me that they have the original blue prints and specifications manual for the home.  Can you believe it?!?!  I will likely get a chance to see those too as well as a peak up those beautiful grand stairs....
 I will be sure to share what happens once I bring the skeleton key to their house.  I'm so excited to be getting new neighbors and being more involved with this House Tale & Key Mystery than I had even hoped for from the beginning! 

To Be Continued....

Lights, Camera, Docu-WHAT?!?! Our Small Part in the History of North Minneapolis

Kayd Roy11 Comments
Tuesday evening was pretty exciting at our house!  Alex and I were honored to be filmed and interviewed for a small part in a local documentary about our neighborhood titled 'Cornerstones: A History of North Minneapolis'
We have our little house blog to thank for the opportunity to be apart of this project.  Turns out the editor and publisher of the North News forwarded our blog to Dan Bergin the Producer of the documentary (thanks Margo!).  Once Dan read a little about our love for the history of the neighborhood, the history of our house/ families that lived here, and how we chose our house, he thought we would be a nice addition to the documentary.  How cool is that!?!?

Here is a picture of Alex and I with Dan after our interview.
He sent us a brief description of the content for the documentary:

‘Cornerstones: A History of North Minneapolis’ reveals surprising stories of the North Side through the power of place.  From the historic Sumner Branch Library to one of the last remaining commercial buildings from old Plymouth Avenue to the Emanuel Cohen center-now Oak Park Center, Cornerstones will explore diverse history through North Side buildings, spaces, and sites.  The one hour documentary and accompanying web site will be a touchstone for common ground, education and understanding about the community that represents the city’s past and hopes for the future.     The project is a co-production of the University of Minnesota and Twin Cities Public Television.

If you look back at my post about the Northside's history, it details some of the story about the area.  There is a ton of history here and it sure has seen a lot of ups and downs.  I imagine it will make for an amazing story for the documentary and I can't wait to learn more about my surroundings!
It was pretty fun to see lighting set up in our house and mic packs attached to us as we walked around.  Yep, little things like that are exciting to me :)

I think we did our best to tell the story of the families that lived in our home (all the way back to 1924) and how we feel about our community.  We also touched a bit on all the work we have done to our home and how we strive to keep it's historic character and quality. 
Even though it was fun it was still a bit nerve wracking.  I hope we do our neighbor's proud (and don't sound like a couple dorks)! We look kind of dorky in that picture, haha!

  I have to say it makes me feel very proud that we are looked at as a small bit of history in our community.  When we started this little blog, it was just to show our room redo's, DIY projects, and my love for home decor (which I also have to thank our old house for- my passion for home design certainly increased after we moved here).  Who would have thought we would get a cool opportunity like this?

I will post an update when we get any news about it's premier date or when the website is up and running!

Anyone else out there have fun opportunities come their way because of your blog? Or, maybe you've learned more about the history of your home or neighborhood?  I'd love to hear other cool stories!

*** UPDATE ***

Here's the link to the Cornerstone's website
Sadly, we didn't make the final cut of the documentary, wa-wa.  But, we are included in the online extras!  Here's the link to our video, enjoy!
http://www.uroc.umn.edu/cornerstones/cornerstones_extras.html#top
(Alex is waaaaay better on camera than me!)

Two Year Home Sweet Home Anniversary!

Kayd Roy5 Comments
Two years ago today marks the first day we walked through the door of our little Dutch Colonial as home owners.  I wrote a post about the experience when I started the blog (it was kind of a weird day).

Although our home just turned 87 years old, I still think our 2 years here have been very special!  I am very proud of the updates we have made on our house and how 'homey' it now feels. 

But more importantly, I am realizing how special and significant this home is in our lives.  Before living here, I had lived in 10 places in a span of about 6 years.  When I left the 'nest' and went off to college I moved around quite a bit, dorms and apartment leases.  Then Alex and I moved to Minneapolis and lived in an apartment then the fancy condo.  So, it is finally nice to have a place to feel settled in, a REAL home.

I'm pretty sure Alex, Rocco, Sadie and I won't be here forever.  But it is nice to know we finally have a place in the world with that is truly special to us.  Anyway, I guess it is a fun little anniversary to remember each year.  Does anyone else out there remember/ recognize their 'home' anniversary? 


This post brought to you by the Number Two


The HELP Flag is Up! Tell Us What We Should Do With This Room!

Kayd Roy16 Comments
Alex and I are ready to get started turning a somewhat awkward space in our house into a useful room with purpose!  Problem is, we don't quite know what it should be...so we need your help!!!!  The room in question is off of our master bedroom (while we still haven't gotten started redoing that room, it is definitely on the to do list as well).  This picture is taken from our master bedroom. Between our 'too stinkin tiny for all the stuff we have' his and her closets, there is an archway with a glass panel door that leads out to what we have called 'the sunroom' since we moved in.
This room was an addition built on to our house at some point in time.  Originally it was a 2nd floor outdoor patio/ balcony.  We know this because all of our neighbors have them, and one neighbor has an identical house without the addition.  I was trying to research why all the houses around here have 2nd floor balconies/ patios, but I still can't find a good answer.  During some of my research I did stumble upon a  New York Times article from 1895 about Dutch Colonial Homes that was kind of fun.  It detailed a Dutch Colonial home's layout which was pretty spot on with our house. I think I am going to start calling one of our rooms a 'parlor', I love the old lingo!  But yes, it is titled 'Cheap Colonial Homes' since suburbs didn't exist and families were building homes themselves.  They quoted these homes costing around $4,000-$5,500, which matched the price on the original building card to our house which I blogged about here.

But back to the room we need help with...
Here is the opposite view of the door from the 'sunroom'.
Now you can see why we need help, it is a LONG and NARROW room with 5 large bright windows.  A few people have suggested making this a closet, but I can't seem to fathom turning a room with so much natural light into a closet.
Oddly, when we saw the house before buying, we thought this room was kind of cool. I guess we still think it is cool, just fun and unique with the slanted ceilings and all the windows.  We are just a little stumped as to what we should do with it, so we need some ideas before we get started! (we already know the nasty carpet has to go ASAP!) 
Keep in mind, we have a guest room and office already, so what should it be?  Sitting room?  Reading room? Extension of master suite? Exercise room?  I have no idea!  I just know that once we get a good idea and get started, this could likely be the coolest room in the house!  If you do read this pretty, pretty, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT letting us know what we should do with this room!  I would love to get lots of new ideas, who knows, you might have one we haven't thought of!  Once we get a good idea, we will put a plan in place and start blogging the room redo!

House History Research: More Details about the Original Building Card and First Families

Kayd Roy2 Comments
In a previous post, I featured this framed copy of the original building card to our house which is at the bottom of our stairwell near our front entry shown below.

Here is a close up of the building card (address blocked out).  I contacted a librarian at the Hennepin Library in the Special Collections department, gave him our address and he came back the same day with our house history information and information about the first families that lived in our house.

Our home was built for $5,500 in 1924 by Jake Freidson. Which is spelled incorrectly on the building card as 'Fredson'. How do I know that? Our librarian also sent us the US Census information about the families.  Below is a copy of the Fifteen US Census from 1930. It is incredibly hard to read unless you zoom in like crazy, but the 2nd family listed from the bottom is the Freidson Family. Jacob and Anna and their three children were the first residents in our home. We got some help from the librarian about their life, they were a Jewish family from Russia and owned a grocery store at 2201 4th Ave.
The second family that lived in our house was the Olesky family, here is the 1930 census information for them as well. Rymal and Sarah Olesky ran the Olesky Brothers Grocery with his brother Jacob Olesky at 801 9th Street South. They had three children and I can't really read it easily but also a live in Sister In Law or Mother in Law. This family was also Russian Jewish.

I also have a post about the history of the Homewood neighborhood that details more about the families that lived there. Since North Minneapolis was historically Jewish, so it was fun to find out how our house fit into the history of the neighborhood. 

I hope to dig up more fun facts and details about our house and the neighborhood as we continue our little DIY adventure!

Favorite Little Pieces of History at Home

Kayd Roy1 Comment
Since I am really into history, I contacted a researcher at the Hennepin County Library in their Special Collections Department to inquire about our home's history. Within one day, a man by the name of Ian Stade returned my email with tons of information about our house. The part that meant the most to me, was the original building card, it was the first record of our home, documented the only way it could in that time, on an index card for the city, can you imagine? It tracked any work done on the home, including building and additional work or repairs. The most notable feature, the home was built in 1924, for $5,550 by a contractor of the name Jake Fredson. Sounds pretty cheap! The building card's last listing on our house was 1964, assuming the city developed a new system for tracking and inspecting homes. When I received all of this information, I fell in love with our house more, it had a story, lots of life happened here. I have this hung at the bottom of our stairwell near the front door.


The other favorite in this posting, a real antique, Alex helped a friend move into his grandmother's home, and while moving, found this old grape box, just happened to match our color scheme, I love it! Alex asked if he could take it, and brought it home. He came in and said he had something for me, it was so thoughtful, nice job husband! We have it on our fridge still and it looks so authentic to our house, I love it!

That is it for now, More favorite things to come!!!


A Brief History of the Homewood Neighborhood in Minneapolis

Kayd RoyComment
Since I am a nerd when it comes to historic homes and neighborhoods, I wanted to do some research on my new surroundings so I could learn more about the history of the area and the people that had lived here.  

So here's what I learned about the beginnings of Homewood, enjoy!
Cozy Homes in Farwell and Homewood Neighborhoods, Postcard 1920
The earlier history of this neighborhood includes a period around 1908 to 1920 when Jewish and African-American people were excluded by covenant from purchasing homes in this development. Stone markers were erected at the corners of this eighty-acre plot of land to indicate its exclusivity. In short, Homewood was an early version of the gated community.

Because these large and beautiful homes were "out in the country" back then, not many of the targeted wealthy Scandinavian merchants responded by purchasing homes here. The covenant against Jewish people was lifted and the homes sold well until the development was full.  
Gates to Homewood, 1914, 11th block of Penn Ave

Corner of Plymouth and Sheriden 1957
The neighborhood remained predominantly Jewish in nature and culture well into the fifties and early sixties. During this time a bustling business district, including the Homewood Theater, the Homewood Market, the Homewood Hospital and the Homewood Bowling Alley thrived along Plymouth Avenue, it was a beautiful community and a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family.

Then in the early sixties, problems of deteriorated housing, lack of jobs, concentrated areas of poverty and frustration with civil rights issues accelerated. In 1967, race riots broke out along Plymouth Avenue. The once bustling business district was destroyed by looting, fires, and shootings, the damages estimated around 4.2 million dollars. 
Aftermath of the 1967 Riots along Plymouth Ave.
Since the riots, Plymouth Ave has never been the same. The neighborhood had changed and the lure of the suburbs attracted many of the residents from Homewood. Homes that had been in families for generations were put up for rent. Less stable populations of residents moved in and out much more frequently. City and community resources were diverted to other areas. What was once one of the more affluent and desirable areas of the city sank into disrepute and disrepair.


********************************

 
Forty years later, our neighborhood is building a new valuable identity. Campaigns like the 'Get to NOMI' (NOrth MInneapolis) were started aimed at getting people reacquainted with North Minneapolis, showing the benefits of the arts, parks, business, diversity, and gorgeous affordable homes.

It is obvious to those people who have lived in the neighborhood for 30 or 40 years, the neighborhood is at a turning point. In our time here we hope we get to see the community evolve even further and make more progress. Just in the year we have been here, we have seen many positive changes, I can't help but passionate and hopeful for the future of North Minneapolis. 

 




Please let me know if you have other information about the history of North Minneapolis or the Homewood neighborhood.  I'd love to add to this post with more info or photos!