This week in interior design, we took a field trip to the James J. Hill house and a tour of Summit Ave. and the St. Paul Cathedral.
The James J. Hill House was completed in 1891 and is located on Summit Ave. in St. Paul. The house was very large for its time until James J. Hill dies in 1916. The house is listed as a U.S. Historic Landmark and associated with the Minnesota Historical Society. With 36,000 square feet, it is still a very large house, Cass Gilbert and Clarence Johnston being the architects.
Hill bought three lots on Summit Ave. and built one for himself, one for his son and his new wife, and once Hill died, his children took over the estate.
Most of the houses on Summit Ave were built by Cass Gilbert and Clarence Johnston. Most of the styles were Queen Anne or Greek Revival. There was a house that was used only as a carriage garage for the Hill family. Also the oldest houses in St. Paul are on Summit Ave. and when these houses were built, St. Paul was not the prettiest place. These were some of my favorite houses.
The St. Paul Cathedral started construction in 1841 and finally opened to the public in 1904. The architects Emmanuel Louis Masqueray and Whitney Warren started construction when John Ireland was the Archbishop.
The inside of the Cathedral was beautiful. Tall ceilings, large loud pipe organs, paintings everywhere. The stain glass was breathtaking along with the statues of the saints.
The St. Paul Cathedral started construction in 1841 and finally opened to the public in 1904. The architects Emmanuel Louis Masqueray and Whitney Warren started construction when John Ireland was the Archbishop.
The inside of the Cathedral was beautiful. Tall ceilings, large loud pipe organs, paintings everywhere. The stain glass was breathtaking along with the statues of the saints.
