Saint Paul's Westside: Walking Tour #1

Lets take a walk!

The west side of Saint Paul (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH WEST ST. PAUL) is one of the most complicated and overlooked parts of Minnesota’s capital city. Divided from the rest of downtown by the Mississippi River, the area’s development was delayed by treaties, toll bridges, and floods. The neighborhood’s low-profile has avoided redevelopment and allowed historic homes to survive much longer than in other parts of the city. The number of historic homes could rival Summit Avenue, but instead of running along one street they are more spread out across the bluff top. That doesn’t mean it’s not walkable! In fact, this quiet enclave is a great place to take a quiet walk and take in amazing views of downtown.

So here we go! Start at Prospect Terrace Park. There is only street parking, but it is free and you should have any trouble finding a spot.

First, make sure you check out the view!

Turn left onto Delos Ave - 1 block to Bidwell

Delos A. Monfort, banker, who settled in St. Paul in 1857. First traveled through St. Paul in 1854, returning in 1857. Beginning with Charles Mackubin and Erastus Edgerton in their banking house, he subsequently became cashier for the Second National Bank, with which he remained off and on for the remainder of his career. In his early years at People's Bank, Monfort won an extraordinary race to St. Peter, stopping a run on his bank.

FUN FACT: Monfort portrayed the Fire King in the first Winter Carnival Festivities in 1886.

Turn left onto Bidwell

Ira Bidwell was an early land owner on the West side. He was in banking and real estate. He also invested in Palmyra Springs, Wisconsin and helped build a spa around the mineral springs there.

Turn right onto Prospect Blvd.

Prospect Boulevard refers to the view or “prospect” that you can take in from this amazing vantage point.

122 Prospect Blvd - Frank Yoerg home, built 1904

Youngest son of Anthony Yoerg who founded Minnesota’s and St. Paul’s first brewery in 1849. He led the brewery after his father died and his brother, Anthony Jr. left the brewery to go into politics and real estate. This house wasn’t built for him, but he lived there for several years.

We’ll see more Yoerg family homes and other beer-related residences.

Cross Winslow, continue on Prospect Blvd.

Check out “Overlook” - the sculpture overlooking the bluff by David Wyrick. Wyrick was one of six artists who sculpted on the lawn of St. Paul College as part of a 2006 public art project called Minnesota Rocks.

361 Stryker - James Melady, built 1885

James Melady came to St. Paul in 1860 and began as a laborer for the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, then became a foreman at the Northwest Fuel Co., then ran his own coal and wood business on the flats.

pass Stryker, continue east on Prospect Blvd.

58 Prospect Blvd - Durkee house, built 1875

B. P. Durkee was a partner in a mercantile firm (or wholesaler) Durkee & Emerson. His son, R. A. Durkee lived in the house from 1880 - 1923. His grandson, Reuel Harmon, was born in the house and later was president of Webb publishing. He was very involved with lots of St. Paul causes - and an overlook is named after him at the Dodge Nature Center.

Continue east on Prospect Blvd and turn right onto Hall Avenue

Theodosia Kidd Park

In the 1970s, Theodosia Kidd of Stillwater bought the land and donated it to the city as a park so that it would not be developed. Her daughter lived on adjacent land.

Turn right onto Colorado

Turn left onto Winslow

James M. Winslow was born in Vermont in 1810, came to St. Paul in 1852, built the Winslow Mill on Trout Brook, six or seven hotels (including the Winslow House Hotel in St. Anthony), and built the first telegraph lines in Saint Paul.

382 Winslow - Minea House, built 1886

Built in 1886 by Martin Bruggemann as a gift to his daughter, Mary Bruggemann, to celebrate her marriage to John Minea. Minea was a grocer on the west side and also worked for the Bruggemann brewery. They lived in the home for about 10 years and then moved to a smaller home in West St. Paul.

John’s brother, Joseph Minea, was also active in city politics.

Martin Bruggemann opened the Bruggemann brewery in 1853. It was right next to Yoerg’s and the families and business were intertwined

The architect of the home was Albert Zschocke. Born and educated in Germany, Zschocke arrived in St. Paul in 1883 at age 24. He established his own architectural practice, and quickly won commissions to design houses, apartment buildings and schools. He died in 1892 at age 33 of typhoid fever, leaving behind a wife and five children. He also designed the Giesen-Hauser house on Dayton’s Bluff and the Farrington Plaza on University Ave W.

Turn left onto Delos

Turn Left onto Stryker

John L. Stryker was a real estate owner and investor from New York. He did not live in Minnesota. His son, John E. Stryker, did, and worked as an attorney in St. Paul.

390 Stryker - Heinsch house, built 1885

Henry Heinsch was a carpenter and builder. This home is a good example of a middle-class home from the era.

Back to Delos, continue west to Hall

395 Hall Ave - Michael J. Bell, built 1890

Michael J. Bell was the Ramsey County register of deeds and a city alderman. The Bell family moved on around 1897. In 1903, a sculptor named Knute Akerberg lived here. Knut Akerberg sculpted, in 1906 and 1907, the tomb of Princess Mathilde of Saxony and Bavaria.

Turn right onto Hall

402 Hall Ave - Dwight and Clara Watson, built 1886

For many years, this home existed under the radar. But more recently, the owners were curious about the thoughtful design and architecture of the home. After researching the permits and paperwork of the original building process they discovered that the home is the work of Cass Gilbert, early in his career. The discovery earned the home a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

The original owner of the home was Dwight Watson who bought the land and had the house built in 1886. Watson's father, George Watson was a Minnesota state senator and participated in the State Constitutional Convention in 1857. Dwight worked for Noyes & Cutler for 45 years and retired in 1920.

Head south on Hall, turn left onto Isabel

Isabel’s husband, Eugenio A. Johnson, was a early land surveyor and civil engineer

23 Isabel - Dr. O A Beal House, built 1891

Dr. Octavus Beal was a practicing physician and was often in the newspapers, called in to examine suspicious deaths or treat notable west-side citizens.

Head back north on Hall, turn left onto Delos

52 Delos - Grady Flats, built 1889

designed by architect Emil Strassburger

64 Delos - Heimbach House & carriage house, built 1890

Also built by Strassburger. (There are 4 other Strassburger homes on the West Side - there were a lot more on the lower West Side flats, but they were all demolished after the floods in the 50s)

Edward J. Heimbach, a boot and shoe salesman, married Elizabeth Bruggemann - another daughter of Martin Bruggemann.

There was a family kerfuffle when Edward forged checks in Martin Bruggemann’s name. Instead of having his son-in-law prosecuted, Bruggemann was given a mortgage on Gottfried Heimbach’s (Edward’s father’s) house. Apparently, Anthony Yoerg also had a mortgage on the house (to pay off some unknown debt, probably related to Gottfried’s saloon). John Bruggemann found out about it, let it lapse and then used the ensuing foreclosure to seize the Heimbach’s house. Heimbach sued, but Bruggemann won. In the end, the elderly Heimbach’s were allowed to stay in their house, but the younger couple did move out of the neighborhood.

Continue west on Delos

Turn left on Bidwell

123 Isabel - Eugene and Christina Villaume house, built 1894/1895

Eugene came to St. Paul in 1873, following his brother Victor. He helped built prefabricated houses. Then he went into business for himself. Villaume Box and Lumber became one of the big employers on the West Side. They made wooden boxes and containers - including supplying boxes to the Hamm’s brewery, but also made detailed millwork and gliders for the invasion of Europe during WWII.

Turn right onto Isabel, head west to Ohio and then make a u-turn to come back east

215 Isabel - Anthony Yoerg Sr. home, built 1875

Anthony Yoerg built this home after he relocated his brewery across the Mississippi and rebuilt at the bottom of the bluffs. His brewery was the first opened in Minnesota in 1849.

An interesting note about this home is that Anthony married Alvina Sietzinger, who was the nanny for Alexander Ramsey’s children. This was before the Ramsey’s built their mansion that is a historic landmark now. Anyways - Anthony and Alvina married and started their brewery, moved across the river to the westside - and showing how far they had come, how much wealth they had gained - they used the same architect on their house that the Ramsey’s did on their mansion. The homes even have a lot of the same architectural characteristics.

197 Isabel - Anthony Yoerg Jr., built 1882

Anthony Jr., “Anton”, briefly worked for the brewery but later went into real estate and city politics. He was elected to the Minnesota state legislature in 1903.