Features

Nicholson Residence

National Register
property

Lost features restored:
roof balustrades
exterior shutters
carriage house

New elements added:
side entry
terrace
fountains
cigar Shed

 

260 Summit Avenue was built in 1902 as a wedding gift from James J. Hill, the railroad magnate, to his son Louis and daughter-in-law Maud. The property was being used as a children's hospice when Dick and Nancy Nicholson bought the house with the intention of returning it to a single family home. The Nicholsons were interested in restoring the house but also in modernizing it. New storm windows were installed throughout and exterior shutters to reflect early photos. A complete balustrade was returned to the 1912 addition. A new side entry was added for recycling and trash and to cover a leaky light well. The neighboring carriage house was annexed to the property as a guest house. A log house "folly" was built down in back as a "male retreat." The half buried Loggia was dug out to create a large terrace and lit glass fountain. The Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and Saint Paul Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded the project the 2004 Award of Recognition, for the “sensitive restoration design of the Louis and Maud Hill House.”