Minnesota Governor’s Residence has numerous ‘deficiencies’

The Minnesota Governor’s Residence, a historic century-old mansion that has welcomed a host of famous visitors in addition to being the home of Minnesota’s head of state, is up for an estimated $3 million restoration.

The Minnesota Department of Administration, which is responsible for managing and maintaining the residence, is seeking pre-design services to repair, preserve and restore the 27-room mansion at 1006 Summit Ave. in St. Paul.

In a new request for proposals, the department says the 14,706-square-foot English Tudor residence has shortcomings ranging from outdated plumbing fixtures to inadequate security systems. Proposals are due Sept. 3.

The requested services will build off the work of a predesign report completed in 2012 by Miller Dunwiddie Architects. A portion of the work recommended in that study has been completed, according to the department.

Department of Administration Commissioner Alice Roberts-Davis has “recommended that an updated predesign be done to identify and update costs of necessary renovations,” department spokesman Curt Yoakum said in an email.

“Additionally, the commissioner recommends an investment to the level that ensures the state property remains safe, structurally sound, and will be able to meet the needs of a public building,” Yoakum said.

The predesign solicitation has the support of the 19-member Governor’s Residence Council, Yoakum said. The Legislature created the council in 1980 to “advise state officials on the preservation, renovation, and maintenance of the Minnesota Governor’s Residence.”

Built in 1912, the Governor’s Residence has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two sleeping porches and eight fireplaces, according to the department. The 1-acre mansion site includes a 3,420-square-foot carriage house and a similar-sized storage building.

According to the RFP, the mansion has mechanical systems that are “beyond their life expectancy” and have become “dilapidated to the point where they must be replaced. Many of the building’s interior finishes must be revitalized, plumbing fixtures must be replaced and mechanical systems must be modernized to provide energy efficiency and to meet today’s energy codes.”

In addition, the building’s security system needs updates to meet current standards, and the overall building site has “deficiencies” related to “site drainage, stormwater compliance” and “foundation and tunnel leaks,” the RFP said.

Floor plans within the mansion must be altered to “improve food service operations, accommodate state-sponsored receptions and … improve the livability of the residence.” The carriage house and storage building also need repairs.

Mansion improvements completed in the past few years include perimeter fence and associated foundation repairs, venting and exhaust system upgrades, roof work, mechanical system enclosures, Americans with Disabilities Act-related elevator upgrades and security system improvements, Yoakum said.

Julie Nelsen, director of communications and planning for the Department of Administration, said in an email that every Minnesota governor since Karl Rolvaag has lived in the home. Rolvaag served as governor from 1963 to 1967. The residence was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 1974, Nelsen said.

Originally built for $50,000 as a home for St. Paul lumberman and lawyer Horace Hills Irvine, the Minnesota Governor’s Residence was designed by prominent Minneapolis architect William Channing Whitney, the department said.

After the Irvines’ two youngest daughters donated the home to the state of Minnesota in 1965, the Legislature designated the building as a place to hold ceremonial functions and as the governor’s home.

Famous visitors include Eleanor Roosevelt, King Carl Gustav XVI and Queen Sylvia of Sweden, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, Mikhail and Raiza Gorbachev, Mexican President Vicente Fox and actor Walther Matthau.