St. Paul's Tangletown in twist over teardown

A few days ago, the large white Dutch colonial on Princeton Avenue was still owned by Henry and Pat West, as it had been for 42 years, and tranquillity reigned in St. Paul's picturesque Tangletown area.

But by Tuesday, signs had sprouted in front of the house to "Preserve our neighborhood." And stunned residents were talking about the couple who bought the century-old residence late last week and then told them of plans to raze it, replace it with a new house and divide the lot for a second house next door.

Adding to their frustration: One of the new owners, Sherelyn Ogden, is head of conservation for the Minnesota Historical Society.

"It's just a crime to tear down a house like that," said David McCurdy, a retired Macalester College professor who has lived next to the property for decades. "I believe in historic preservation and I think so do all of us. We bought these old houses and we like to live in them, and we like our neighborhood the way it is."

Ogden declined to comment for this report. But David Hovda, the building contractor, said that Ogden and her husband, Allan Thenen, feel bad about the reaction. As things stand now, he said, demolition won't occur for a couple weeks and construction may have to await better weather.

Hovda said that the new owners had thought about restoring the West house — which cost them $475,000 — until they found it would cost upward of $200,000 for interior work alone. Then they learned that the lot was big enough for two houses, he said.

"They started weighing the pros and cons of renovating it or doing two houses, and [the latter] turned out to be much more economical," he said.

Tangletown isn't an officially designated historic district, and the Wests' former home doesn't have the cachet of the nearby shingle-style house designed by Cass Gilbert. Teardowns in the Macalester-Groveland area are no longer a new thing.

But Tangletown residents have always been protective of their cozy pocket near Macalester, "which with its twisty streets and woodsy yards has the feel of an old East Coast suburb," wrote architectural historian Larry Millett.

Ogden went door-to-door Sunday to introduce herself and talk about their plans. Some neighbors were polite. Most were stunned to learn that the city had already approved the lot split and that demolition was days away.

Phone calls were made to rally opposition, and a Facebook page — "Save 1721 Princeton from Tear Down" — was launched.

Among those surprised was Pat West, who said that she and her husband never would have sold the house to Ogden and Thenen if they had known what they planned to do.

"We would have looked for another buyer," West said. "I feel a little taken advantage of, in a way, because it obviously was all secret. Last thing I said to them was, 'You'll love the neighbors.' "

Hovda denied any secrecy. He said he told the Macalester-Groveland Community Council earlier this fall about the plans to build two houses and never heard back.

He applied for a lot split in early October — while the property was still owned by the Wests — and it was approved by the city a couple of weeks later on condition that the house come down and a sidewalk be removed.

But neighbors said they didn't hear anything until after the 10-day appeal period expired.

"We hope that they will reconsider and find a new way, either selling the house to someone else or renovating the existing house. That's our best hope," said Meg Arnosti, who lives across the street.

Hovda said there are no plans to build a pair of McMansions. The houses planned for the property have a traditional look, with steep hipped roofs, that will blend in well with surrounding homes, he said.

That may not be good enough for next-door neighbor Bill Stevens.

"It seems incredible to destroy a perfectly wonderful house that fits in appropriately, vintage time-wise," he said. "I can't imagine new houses will look very congruent with the neighborhood."

Kevin Duchschere • 651-925-5035