Ramsey Hill Neighborhood Walking Tour

If you are looking for something fun to do this Mother's Day, why not enjoy a stroll with Saint Paul historian and writer Jane McClure as she takes us "Off the Beaten Path". This Sunday, May 11, from 2-4 pm, explore the location for the first school patrol in the country, the Selby street car tunnel, Irvine Avenue, and parts of Ramsey Hill not located in the Historic Hill Preservation District.

Meet at the flagpole located on Summit Avenue, across from the Saint Paul Cathedral.

Minneapolis-St. Paul April Home Tour

Environmentally-Friendly Victorian Home to Be Showcased At Minneapolis/St. Paul Home Tour


At 95 Mackubin Street, in the Ramsey Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, one historic Victorian house is receiving an earth-friendly modernization. Green remodeling expert Building Arts will showcase the project at this April’s Minneapolis/St. Paul Home Tour.

A pilot project for Minnesota GreenStar Certified Green Homes and Remodeling, this home features geothermal heating and cooling, recycled flooring, Marvin Low E windows, energy-saving appliances, closed-cell foam insulation, and other innovative, earth-conscious elements. The floor plan has also been updated for contemporary living, with abundant natural light and an open plan for ventilation.

From concept through construction, Building Arts dedicates itself to creating spaces that reflect their owners and honor the environment. A local, full service residential remodeling company, Building Arts has always operated with a focus on sustainable construction.

Harvey Sherman, owner of Building Arts, has worked in the design and building industry for over 25 years as an architect, teacher, and residential remodeling contractor. Sherman takes his work and his dedication to the environment seriously. On this project, Sherman says the intent is “to bring the home up to date with current green thinking.”

Last year, more than 5,300 people visited the Home Tour, and success is expected again this year at this free, self-guided event. The Tour runs on April 26th and 27th, from 10 to 5 on Saturday and 1 to 5 on Sunday. Learn more at http://www.msphometour.com/ and visit http://www.building-arts.net/ for contact information, project photos and more.

Ramsey Hill Walking Tour

The Ramsey Hill Association will be hosting the 2007 tour of Historic Homes in St Paul on Sunday, September 16th. Tour hours are for one day only, from 11 am to 5 pm and will include homes located on and around the Famous Summit Avenue.

This year the Tour will be taking on a special theme:

"Decades of Design: 150 Years of Ramsey Hill Architecture" and will offer a decade by decade walking tour of homes in this historic neighborhood. Not just a historic tour of the oldest homes, this tour will give an excellent example of how architecture has changed during our lifetime.

Ticket prices are $20 per person and can be bought online at the Association's website. Proceeds go to the restoration of Lookout Park, crime prevention, park beautification and neighborhood grants to community organizations including the Walker West Music Academy, Saint Paul Urban Tennis League and the YWCA's We Care for Kids program.

Milwaukee Avenue Historic Home Walking Tour

Minneapolis Home Tour Celebrates 30 Years of Successful Historic Preservation

September 23, 2007

Noon to 5:00 p.m.

Tickets: $10 in advance/ $15 at door

Tickets will go on sale in late August

Residents of the Milwaukee Avenue Historic District will host their first-ever Historic Milwaukee Avenue Home Tour. A celebration of the 30th anniversary of this remarkable preservation effort, the tour offers an opportunity for visitors to learn about a unique urban district in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis and see inside charming workmen’s cottages, many dating from the 1880s.

At least seven homes will be open for touring, representing a range of housing types that were restored, rehabilitated or designed as infill in the 1970s-era project. All are in close walking distance along a car-free pedestrian mall, also a notable part of the preservation effort. Proceeds from the tour will benefit the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and the Seward Neighborhood Group.

Purchase tickets by calling the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota at (651) 293-9047.

About the Milwaukee Avenue preservation effort: Thirty years ago, the City of Minneapolis planned to demolish this area in west Seward as part of its plan to improve urban housing stock. Visionary neighbors, many of whom still live on or near the block, fought to save these homes, preserving many of them. In 1977, the avenue earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its status as a district of working-class homes that commonly housed immigrant laborers.