Homeowner solicits donations to preserve Gold Medal flour ad found on Minneapolis house

George Johnson has studied history for years, but the architect didn’t expect to live in it.

Johnson, 48, a Minneapolis native who moved to the city’s South Side 20 years ago, was renovating his home when workers discovered two large advertisements for Washburn-Crosby’s Gold Medal Flour underneath his siding. Now, Johnson is asking for online donations to keep the signage on display.

“It could be a really cool piece of history that everyone gets to experience, and the fact that it’s on my house is kind of scary and exciting at the same time,” Johnson said, explaining that the signage has attractedonlookers. “It’s kind of fun to think that it could be part of something that I own ... this piece of Minneapolis history that hasn’t been seen for 110 years.”

Through research, Johnson found that his home used to operate as a grocery store between 1912 and 1915 before a fire forced it to close. The building was sold to a new owner, who moved the building to the property from a nearby lot and renovated it into a home. Johnson shared the find on social media earlier this summer, and attention on his home surged.

General Mills, which owns the Gold Medal brand, noticed his viral post and began working with Johnson to pay for renovating his home while preserving the historic signage. Johnson declined to share how much General Mills donated, and General Mills did not return requests for comment.

The architect aims to fundraise $25,000 by the time wet and rainy weather begins this fall. The money would help fund temporarily removing the boards, reinsulating and resheathing the home and then reapplying and sealing the boards with two layers of UV protectant, according to Johnson’s online fundraiser.

Though Johnson hopes to keep the signage on display, he said he plans to cover it with new siding if he can’t raise enough funds. No matter the decision, Johnson said “it’s always going to be protected, no matter what.”