Dayton's Bluff: The Giesen-Hauser House
So many of the old homes in Saint Paul are dark and foreboding. So it’s fun to discover the family that built this one liked a little more drama.
Peter Giesen was a bookbinder and one of the many Germans who built homes on Dayton’s Bluff in the late 1800s. He was also a talented opera singer. The whole Giesen family was involved in the local theater scene and they owned and operated the Mozart Club Hall where they regularly performed. But it was his wife, Marie, who opened a costume company in 1871 (even though the business was in Peter’s name).
All those Santa Clauses and Winter Carnival Royalty- even James J. Hill and his family got their costumes from Giesens. It was also the only place in town where you could rent a tuxedo. Marie’s inventory grew quickly and soon Giesen’s was one of the 3 largest costume companies in the United States.
Their youngest son, Martin, and his wife Olga took over management in 1904. Olga expanded the business, filling mail orders for costumes all over the country. The business that started with only 22 costumes grew to a catalog of nearly 30,000.
Under the leadership of these two energetic women, Giesens Costumes thrived and supported Twin Cities’ performers and partiers into the 1960s.
Home Away from Home
The Giesens actually only lived in the home on Dayton’s Bluff for a few years. Like most theater families, they spent more time at the theater or in the costume than at home - so they moved closer to where they worked.
The next owner was Eric V. Hauser - who had started as a printer’s apprentice but worked his way up to railroad contractor, hotel owner, and philanthropist in both Saint Paul and Portland, Oregon.
In the 1940s, the home was converted into a boarding house. It was a controversial move for the neighborhood, since the boarders were all members of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Today, the home is being restored. Hopefully they will soon host some amazing costume parties in honor of the Giesens.
