Suburban Swiss Chalet

Louis Hill, son of St. Paul railroad baron James J. Hill, was so enamored of Switzerland that he built a Swiss chalet for his family's winter retreat on Pleasant Lake, about 10 miles north of St. Paul. Hill built the seasonal home in 1930 on property that once encompassed a 5,000-acre farm owned by the Hill family. In 1950, Louis Hill's children subdivided the land and created the suburb of North Oaks. Today the redwood chalet sits on one of North Oaks' premier home sites, which includes 5 acres of land and 800 feet of lakeshore.

Other features:

• The home's 7,550 square feet of space includes six bedrooms and five bathrooms.

• The two-story living room features a stone fireplace and second-floor wooden balcony.

• Many rooms have handcrafted millwork, crown molding and wooden ceiling beams.

• A master bedroom fireplace, with an ornate marble surround, is among six in the home.

• Updates include recent renovations of the kitchen and family room.

• The original main entrance still has the 1930s clay Dutch oven and rows of pegs for skis and skates.

• Off the upper-level bedrooms there are two sleeping porches.

• The screened porch has views of the lake.

• In addition to Pleasant Lake, there's an ice-skating pond and swimming pool.

LYNN UNDERWOOD