The Minnesota Governor's Residence, informally referred to as the Governor's Mansion, serves as the official home of the governor of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. The house, located at 1006 Summit Avenue in

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, is on of land. The building is slightly more than in size.History and Preservation
, ''The Minnesota Governor's Residence'', Minnesota Department of Administration. Retrieved January 27, 2013.

Description

The house was designed by

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

architect William Channing Whitney for Saint Paul

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

businessman Horace Hills Irvine and his family. The 20-room English Tudor house has nine bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and nine fireplaces. The Irvine family lived in the home from 1912 until 1965, when the Irvines' youngest daughters, Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated it to the people of

to serve as the official residence of the First Family. The

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decenn ...

in 1965 passed a law accepting the donation and designating the house as the State Ceremonial Building for official public use for state ceremonial functions and as a governor's residence. The law placed the house and its management under the jurisdiction of the Minnesota Department of Administration. From 1965 until 1980, governors were permitted to propose changes to the house. The Legislature provided renovation funds and the Department of Administration supervised the improvements. From 1965 to 1967, a committee assisted with furnishing the house, but the governor retained the authority to make changes. In 1974, the house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. With this designation, any renovation to the exterior of the residence must be reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office of the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

. It is also a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

to the Historic Hill District. Every year, a forester from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources selects a giant Christmas tree, harvested from a Minnesota State Forest, often from near Pine City, to adorn the front lawn during the holiday season.

Governor's Residence Council and staff

In 1980, in an effort to establish more consistent management for the house, the Legislature authorized the State Ceremonial Building Council. In 1983, the name was changed to the Governor's Residence Council. The council has 19 members: the Commissioner of Administration, the governor's spouse, the executive director of the Arts Board, the director of the

, one member each from the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

and the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

, and 13 members appointed by the governor. The council develops restoration plans, approves alterations, and solicits contributions for improvements or furnishings for public areas of the building. There are five staff members at the mansion: a manager, an assistant manager, a

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, a housekeeper, and a groundskeeper. At times during the summer, Minnesota Historical Society offers tours free of charge to the public. Starting in 2023, the Summit Avenue mansion had undergone upgrades to improve security features and to update electrical, plumbing and foundation systems. The project was due to cost about $13 million funded by taxpayers.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control 1965 establishments in Minnesota Government buildings in Minnesota Governor's Residence Governors' mansions in the United States Historic house museums in Minnesota Houses completed in 1910 Houses in Saint Paul, Minnesota Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Minnesota Museums in Saint Paul, Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota Tudor Revival architecture in Minnesota