Updates to 1949 house by famed Minnesota architect keep tradition and charm

Hilary and Justin DuBrock weren’t Edwin Lundie fans when they bought their Rochester Lundie in 2021, but they are now.

COVID-19 had something to do with that.

“Going through the pandemic, we realized we wanted distinct spaces where I could work from home, the kids could do mayhem things, and our parents could stay with us when they visited,” Justin DuBrock said.

The 4,188-square-foot home, which the admired Twin Cities-based architect designed in 1949, met that criterion with defined-yet-connected rooms. Plus, there were charming details common to Lundie’s work, including precise millwork, a Pullman train car-inspired hallway and, in the exterior stonework, a tidy grid of openings that provide light and privacy for a powder room.

The DuBrocks, who moved to Rochester from Massachusetts 10 years ago for Hilary DuBrock’s medical career, also loved the house’s unique Y-shaped layout, neatly organized into bedroom and living room/porch wings (plus a walkout “mayhem” level).

But it wasn’t quite perfect. The virtually untouched kitchen didn’t support a modern lifestyle for the family of five (the DuBrocks have three children, aged 3, 7 and 9). Worse, it was cut off from the rest of the house by a compact (but sweet) service pantry and narrow doorway.

Even so, the couple was glad the previous owners hadn’t altered the space, allowing them to see Lundie’s original intent and build upon it. Todd Hansen of Albertsson Hansen Architecture and Interior Design led the renovation.

Hansen didn’t take the task lightly.

“It’s a responsibility to work on one of Lundie’s houses,” he said. “Especially when so many of them have been torn down.”

Lundie learned his craft through apprenticeships and practiced in the Twin Cities between 1921 and the mid-1960s. His best-known work is on the original buildings at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska and the Lutsen Lodge on the North Shore, which burned down in 2024.

Lundie’s most productive period occurred in the 1940s and ′50s, when his homes became something of a status symbol, according to “The Architecture of Edwin Lundie” by Dale Mulfinger.

While most architects and architectural publications of the day celebrated modernism, Lundie remained faithful to traditional forms, adapting colonial, Cape Cod, or European styles to meet client needs and site specifics. The results were character-filled homes that evoked a sense of the past.

“His designs lean traditional but display a lot of wit and sensitivity,” Hansen said. “Lundie played with proportions of, say, window sizes or built-ins, in creative ways, and it works because he thought everything out so carefully.”

Hansen met the challenge by combining the separate kitchen and pantry into a single space. He added a multipane, counter-height window, similar to one in the dining room, to bring in light and expand views of the wooded backyard. At the same time, he widened the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, creating better circulation on the main floor.

Recreating much of the original millwork — including cabinet profiles, beaded paneling and window casings in the combined space — honored Lundie, while new functional features — such as a concealed coffee station, modern appliances and an island​ — honored the family’s needs.

Tucking a breakfast nook into one corner and building out the cabinetry around it created a cozy spot for eating, coloring or visiting.

“It’s comforting to have a sense of enclosure and safety with which to look out over a larger room,” Hansen said.

“We never know what we’ll find in the package door,” Hilary DuBrock said.

Converting a built-in dining room cabinet into a stone-top bar with a concealed refrigerated beverage drawer enhanced its functionality while preserving the traditional aesthetic.

For that room, the DuBrocks found a hand-block-printed wallpaper in a classic-yet-oversized design. Something Lundie, who was devoted to craft and appreciated a riff, might have appreciated.

The previous owner left the DuBrocks a stack of books about Lundie, and they’ve enjoyed learning more about the man and his work. The family even visited the Lutsen Lodge before the fire and enjoyed seeing similarities between it and their home.

For Hansen, the project was a rewarding experience.

Designing firm: Albertsson Hansen Architecture and Interior Design

Project team: Todd Hansen, AIA; Jim Kuipers, Associate AIA

Project partners: Robert Gill Builder

Photography: Corey Gaffer Photography

Laurie Fontaine Junker is a Twin Cities-based writer specializing in home design and architecture. Instagram: @fojunk