A last chance for historic Dayton's Bluff homes
The house at 275 Bates was built in 1884. It cost $800.
The original owner, Louis Hansen, operated a bakery on the lower level.
Hansen was the first in a long string of St. Paul residents to live in the two-story Dayton's Bluff building: According to historic city directories, stenographers, cigar makers, elevator operators, musicians, painters, railroad workers and a chandelier designer lived at the address over the years.
In 1964, Ron and Mary Linn called it home. The couple, both born and raised on St. Paul's east side, moved in with a baby, and had their second child in the house.
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On Sunday, they stopped by to see what had changed.
"A lot," Mary said.
The house at 275 Bates is one of six vacant, historic homes in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood that are owned by the city of St. Paul. The city bought the properties during the foreclosure crisis of 2008 and 2009.
For the last seven years, St. Paul has sought out developers interested in buying and restoring the properties. But while other city-owned homes in the neighborhood were successfully renovated, these six remained empty.
Last year, St. Paul's Housing and Redevelopment Authority moved to obtain permission from the Heritage Preservation Committee to tear them down. That's when the neighborhood stepped in.
On Sunday, the homes got a last chance at a new life.
When the Dayton's Bluff Community Council heard the city was ready to bulldoze the properties, they organized a public tour to spark interest in rehabbing the structures. Curious tour-goers and interested buyers were shuttled from house to house on a 1954 Twin Cities Rapid Transit bus.
"We always go to demolition as a last choice, especially in this historic district," said Jonathan Sage-Martinson, director of Planning and Economic Development for St. Paul. "We want to make an extra effort to find a feasible way to develop the properties."
At each home, after signing a waiver, people could step through broken glass, overturned radiators, narrow hallways and pocked walls to investigate the possibilities. Some pulled out their iPhones to light the way on dark staircases or down into damp basements.
In rare moments, the historic bones of the houses shone through: Pressed tin peeked out from behind fake wood paneling, and ornate molding lined doorways, albeit under layers of paint.
Many other homes in the neighborhood are vibrant examples of what may be hiding under the surface. While these six still await renovation, 16 other properties once owned by the city have been restored. Aluminum siding has been peeled off to expose shiplap, and Victorian-era carved posts have been found hidden behind plaster.
Dayton's Bluff has the "largest Victorian housing stock in the state," tour guide Tabitha Benci DeRango told the bus. DeRango and her family live in a historic home that they renovated in the neighborhood. "Don't take the houses at their face value — you never know what's been covered up," she said.
The 16 successful renovations were part of St. Paul's Inspiring Communities program, which launched during the recession. The city purchased homes and vacant lots across several neighborhoods, and has worked with developers to renovate them, make them energy efficient and attract new residents.
With a strong turnout for the tour, the city was excited by the outpouring of interest in the Dayton's Bluff homes, but these six remaining properties remain difficult projects.
Mold, code issues, structural problems and walls ransacked for copper piping are just a few of the issues developers will have to tackle. Several raccoons may have to be evicted, too. Interested parties can submit proposals through the city's website.
If no feasible plans come through, the buildings will be demolished to make room for new homes or other possibilities.
Ron and Mary Linn weren't interested in buying up 275 Bates and reliving the early days of their marriage. They're happy now in Inver Grove Heights.
Plus, the kitchen "is smaller than I remember," Mary said. She recalled baking a roast in the oven.
Ron remembered eating it. "Potatoes and everything — the works," he said.
They walked through their old bedroom, now dark, with peeling wallpaper and stained floors. In the bathroom, Mary pointed out the sink where Ron's cousin chipped a front tooth.
"It was a good house," Ron said.
For more about the history of the Dayton's Bluff properties, see the Dayton's Bluff Vacant Home Tour brochure. To learn about the proposal process and guidelines for developing one of the properties, contact the city of St. Paul Planning and Economic Development Department.
