1990 James Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55105

It’s not a renovation. It’s not new construction. It’s something much more rare. It’s a fully-authored, comprehensive reconstruction of a 1916 Foursquare, built to be lived in.

Over 18 months, and with more than $1M invested, the house was rebuilt from top to bottom. The old mechanical systems, plumbing systems, and electrical systems were removed and replaced. Water management systems were added. Extensive structural reconstruction was completed. The work inside the walls, the trade magic, was completed with the same care as the work you can see. Materials designed to endure were added: Andersen A-Series windows and doors, authentic and historic tile, unique artful light fixtures, locally-crafted white-oak cabinetry and built-ins.

And it was designed around the things that make people happy.

Neighbors waving from the sidewalk, coffee on the veranda, throwing the windows open on a warm day, family and friends crowded around the kitchen island, summer nights under the maple tree and string lights.

It’s for bare feet, open doors, muddy dogs and big holidays. It’s for friends, gatherings, and for neighbors knowing your name. It was designed for joy.

Every one of thousands of decisions was thoughtful — and was considered for how the house would feel, how would it live, how would it last, and, yes, how it would look.

It was rebuilt with care. Again and again the harder path was chosen — not the easy, fast way, but the right way to make it last and be loved every day, years later. The result is a house with genuine character and all the hard work already done.

Profiled recently in Minnesota Monthly, the local team behind this home, The Second Stripe, is dedicated to helping historic homes enter their second centuries, to help sustain neighborhoods for connection, for belonging – and for joy.
You won’t find anything else like it. And it’s waiting for its people.