Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Trettel and Ryan Hanson. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Matthew has always loved “old” houses. It likely comes from fond memories of his grandparent’s boarding house, filled with curiosities for an inquisitive four-year-old. Velvet wallpaper, seven bedrooms, china, and crystal (meant not just for special occasions). It was a place that housed a certain kind of magic. Fast forward 45 years and now as we define our new home, the place where we will form our family, the potential for an unfathomable adventure is coming full circle. Enter Pillsbury Castle. It all started when we decided to pick up roots after living in downtown Minneapolis for almost 2 decades in hopes of finding a perfect home to start our family. A short excursion took us to Tangletown, just before COVID, and after some initial renovations on what was meant to be our “forever home,” we discovered a small addition to the home we loved would be a massive undertaking. Seems hills pose quite a challenge and holding our neighbor’s house from falling into ours during the renovation was more of an expense than would ever make sense. With some encouragement, Ryan suggested that we look at what other options would exist if we took the same renovation investment and ‘invested’ it into a new forever home. So we started the house hunt again and while St. Paul’s Summit Avenue had always been a lifelong dream, my mom continued to remind me that Ryan and I are Minneapolis people… As if there is a distinction. (Discuss amongst yourselves). Our search brought us back to a Minneapolis address 116 East 22nd, the Alfred Pillsbury Mansion. A home that had been calling out to Matthew for several years via Zillow. This grand home had it all; amazing architecture, gorgeous detailing, an epic staircase, and a family pedigree to boot. It seemed unapproachable. Sadly, misconceptions about the Whittier neighborhood almost stood in the way, but like so much of the recent narrative about Minneapolis, the facts simply didn’t support the reality. We did our research on the community, discovering that safety concerns were unfounded and that crime was less prevalent than in areas of Minneapolis considered to be more prestigious. Knowing we already loved Eat Street and the cultural institutions that are the heart of the neighborhood, not to mention the cosmopolitan feeling of this multi-cultural gem, taking the plunge seemed like the start of a legacy. So inspired by their new community Matthew joined the board of Whittier Alliance the neighborhood association, hoping to dispel the misconceptions of this amazing place. We were three steps inside the front door and it was a done deal. We were hooked and we were going to save this home. Why wouldn’t we live here? This is an architectural masterpiece worthy of saving and we could imagine the adventure our kids would have growing up in this magical home. The details are so rich, the finishes so exquisite, the history so intrinsic and it has a warmth that just draws you in. It’s also the last of the remaining Pillsbury mansions to remain a home and maintaining it as such is very important to us. And so our adventure began. A new home meant new opportunities and we wanted to share this historic home with the community at large. Ideas flourished and an initial conversation with ASID MN has us embarking on a huge adventure; assisting with the relaunch of the ASID Design Home. Knowing that restoration and renovation would be a big part of the process, we engaged NARI MN to assist with the renovation process and they joined the project in collaboration with ASID.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been relatively smooth so far?
Preservation is an expensive proposition and it’s not a surprise why the home was on the market for so many years. The previous homeowners had done an amazing level of work stabilizing the home, but it was time for more significant work including restoring the roof, reconstruction of the masonry exterior, and replacement of literally hundreds of storm windows. That is just the outside. Inside upgrades are needed as well and through a partnership with both ASID and NARI the design and remodeling industry is supporting our mission to maintain the Pillsbury Castle as it was intended, as a home.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Pillsbury Castle Project was born, not only to support the restoration of the home but also to assist in the community building that is an important part of our mission and to carry on the legacy of the Pillsburys. We see ourselves as the current stewards of this historic and cultural landmark. It’s no surprise that we sit just across Fair Oaks Park from Mia. Alfred was integral in its formation and its largest benefactor when he donated over 1,000 pieces of Asia art to start their world-renowned collection. We felt strongly that the house should be shared with the community and through the ASID Design Home, MSP Home Tour and our plans to create an annual holiday tradition called ‘Christmas at the Castle”, we can open our home for curious historians, interior design aficionados and renovation enthusiasts. Pillsbury Castle Project has also helped tap into a community of supporters from suppliers of building materials and furnishings all making contributions to the project; to corporate sponsorship helping to support the preservation with donations to the restoration. We continue to seek out support so we can continue further preservation. For us, PCP is also our opportunity to share Alfred and Eleanor’s story and that surprisingly is a really large task. Their legacy is a bit disjointed and we’ve been trying to tie the pieces all together. They didn’t have children so there isn’t a good chain of custody of photographs from their almost 50 years in the home and being such prominent contributors to our city and many of its cultural institutions we want to help carry their story well into the future. We look to the community at large to help us find photos, collect stories, and any elements that will help us complete this part of our mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: pillsburycastle.com
- Instagram: @pillsburycastle
- Facebook: @pillsburycastle
- TikTok: @PillsburyCastle
- Youtube: @pillsburycastle
Image Credits SpaceCrafting
