2018 HOLIDAY MANSIONS PART THREE

Call me old fashion, but I’m a stickler for tradition, especially around the Holidays. Growing up in Iowa, there were certain rituals and events that were always present during the Holiday season, and from Thanksgiving into the new year, like clockwork, they would make their annual appearance.

When I moved to Minneapolis I found myself creating new Holiday traditions of my own. One of those new traditions is my annual visit to the American Swedish Institute to see the Turnblad mansion transformed into a truly amazing and breathtaking Christmas Castle.

Swan Turnblad

Christina Turnblad

The mansion, located on Park Avenue, is a lovely `French Chateauesque home designed by architects Christopher Boehme and Victor Cordella. The mansion took approximately five years to complete and became one of the more stately homes on the street.

Swan and Christina Turnblad only lived in the mansion for twenty years, at which time it was donated to become a Swedish cultural center. That center has evolved into the American Swedish Institute as we know it today.

Each December, the mansion is transformed into an amazing display of Scandinavian holiday celebrations, with the numerous rooms representing how Christmas is experienced in those various countries.

This year’s holiday exhibit concludes this weekend, so you still have time to see it if you haven’t already. It is definitely a must see event.

Castle Trees.

This year's theme was royalty and here are some of the Holiday Crowns.

2018 HOLIDAY MANSIONS PART TWO

This year my friend Todd and I visited the Alexander Ramsey House to see it decorated for the Holidays. The mansion and its residents play a large part in the history of the Twin Cities.

 Ramsey, a well connected politician on the national level, began his affiliation with Minnesota in 1849 when he became the first Territorial Governor of Minnesota. He would soon after be elected Mayor of St. Paul, MN and eventually go on to become the second Governor of the State of Minnesota. In 1863 Ramsey resigned the governorship to become a U.S. Senator.

The Carriage house now houses the gift shop.

The Ramsey House was built in 1868, and is a wonderful example Second Empire architecture. The home stayed in the family, and in 1964 Ramsey’s granddaughter left the house and its original contents to the Minnesota Historical Society which operates it as a museum. The Victorian Christmas tour is a favorite each year, giving a glimpse into Christmas celebrations in the late 1800’s.

The Ramsey family tree.

While no indoor photos are allowed, these outdoor photos show off the beauty of this important, historical home.