- 516 Lexington Parkway -
The Martin M. McNulty House at 516 N. Lexington Parkway, which is now a duplex, is a good example of a Prairie-style dwelling with details of a Midwestern Craftsman box-style home. It includes broad and stuccoed soffits, a canted roof cornice, a flat sun porch roof whose cornice extends over the entryway, and a series of brick details atop the chimneys. It also has nice leaded and stained glass windows. It was built in 1912; Charles Hausler was the architect. McNulty lived there for many years. It is now a duplex.
]]>- 743 Charles Avenue -
This two story house, built in 1885, didn’t attain notoriety until 1996 when artist Tyree Guyton and a cadre of helpers covered it with shoes as an art project. Many people donated shoes including then-State Representative Andy Dawkins, who lived in and served Frogtown. The house was an attraction but some neighbors complained that the area smelled like wet shoes when it rained. The shoes eventually came down and the house was resided.
]]>This 1900 house has been through a number of renovation projects, and now sports a number of unusual angles and features that make it look like something out of a children’s book. It is covered over in stucco but some early streetscapes show it was originally a wood frame building.
]]>- 698 Lafond Avenue -
The Herman A. E. Trapp House was built in 1900. This brick house has an open front porch; what appears to be the original top gingerbread porch trim and front roofline trim remains.
]]>- Northwest corner of University Avenue and St. Albans Street -
This structure, built in 1908, has been modified and expanded over the years. But it still retains many of its distinctive details including ornamentation and a tower. It is Saint Paul’s oldest continuously operating fire station, and the fire rigs feature a frog wearing full fire gear.
The building’s original curving arched doors were modified at some later point to accommodate larger fire equipment. This station was built at the time the city’s fire department was transitioning from horse-drawn rigs to motorized vehicles. The plans for this fire station were used in the design of at least two other stations, on Snelling Avenue in Merriam Park and Ohio Street on the West Side. Both of these buildings have been decommissioned and are in private use.
]]>- 652-658 Sherburne Avenue -
This complex at 652-658 Sherburne Ave. has large porches and a rough brick block exterior that on first glance appears to be stone. There is a similar building at 683-865 Sherburne. This is a street with some very large and very old apartment buildings, including a number of wood frame apartment buildings. The buildings were erected in about 1906. John Molin was the builder.
]]>Frogtown, like many other Saint Paul neighborhoods, grew along with the Twin Cities streetcar system during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Commercial corridors such as University Avenue were transformed after streetcar service began in 1890. That line soon became the busiest of the interurban streetcar lines. Frogtown residents were also served by streetcar lines on Rondo, Hamline and Thomas avenues, and Rice Street. Lines changed over the years. Today’s bus and planned light rail service mirrors many of the longtime streetcar lines.
The neighborhoods west of Dale Street filled in starting in the 1890s. Many Queen Anne, Eastlake, and Colonial Revival style homes remain here, with newer bungalows and a few Prairie-style homes west of Victoria Street. Lots here are slightly larger than in the neighborhood to the east. Note there are infill homes that have gone up over the years, so it’s not unusual to have several decades’ worth of homes on a single block.
A trip through this area reveals many existing Victorian-era working-class homes, with detailed window openings, porches and trim. Dwellings were 1 ½ to 2 stories tall. The larger homes are more grand than the smaller, simple frame and stick-style homes.
The area also has many of the city’s oldest wood, brick and block apartment buildings and duplexes, as well as many more converted corner stores, taverns, confectionaries and shops turned into housing. The neighborhood doesn’t have as many converted commercial buildings as the neighborhood east of Dale. But it does have mixed-use buildings that have been in place for more than a century, such as 741 Edmund Ave. and repurposed commercial/industrial buildings including 500 N. Grotto St.
There are also a number of historic duplexes and even a few original triplexes and fourplexes. Unlike conversions from single-family to multi-family, which accelerated during the post-World War II housing shortages, these homes were built to house more than one family.
]]>- 629 Kent Street -
This 19th century cigar factory, with its brick and stone construction and distinctive curved front, is now a residence and artists’ studio. Of Frogtown’s remaining commercial and small industrial buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood, this building has a very distinct design. It is very similar to a lost building, the former Saint Albans Grocery at 573 N. Saint Albans Street, built in 1898 but recently torn down.
]]>The block of Charles Avenue between Dale and Kent streets has one of the largest groups of original Victorian workingmen’s cottages left in Saint Paul. Old city directories show that many were homes to area railroad and railroad-related industry workers. Many of these homes date from the 1880s and 1890s.
]]>- 567 Charles Avenue -
Commercial businesses not only developed at intersections but at mid-block as well, as seen at 576 Charles Avenue. Behind the two-story commercial building is a one-story concrete block and stone building that was once home to a bakery. Although the commercial building was converted for residential use many years ago, local sources have indicated the early baking equipment remains in the smaller building to the rear.
]]>- 567 Edmund Avenue -
The Charles Buetow home at 567 Edmund Ave. is a third example of a historic brick home that remains in good condition and retains much of its original appearance. Buetow was a laborer, like many of his neighbors. His home was built in 1885 at a cost of about $650.
Another Buetow family house, the Carl Buetow House, is at 733 Charles Ave. This brick house was built in 1912. It is grander than the Edmund house.
]]>- 543 and 571 Sherburne Avenue -
These two very ornate and detailed brick houses date from the mid-1880s. Note that the houses have nice details and have been well-maintained over the years. 543 Sherburne is the Anton Klobe House and 571 Sherburne is the Emil Riedl House.
In the blocks between Rice and Dale streets, and on some blocks west of Dale, at least one brick house per block can be found. Although the neighborhood has many other charming brick houses, including one on Kent Street that has detailed porch windows, these two Sherburne Avenue stand out for their level of original detail and their condition.
]]>- 534 Blair Avenue -
Conversion of buildings for housing and moving of buildings to make way for new uses is not uncommon in Frogtown’s history, especially east of Dale Street. This is one of a few Saint Agnes Parish buildings that went through different iterations as houses. The house at 534 Blair Ave. was originally built in the 1880s to serve as a parish hall and school space. It is just part of the original building; the rest was moved to 387 Edmund Ave. but is gone now.
Another example is the former Leonard Ives commercial building, which was known for many years as the Family Inn, 561 Edmund Ave. The restaurant and tavern was later converted for housing use.
Frogtown has dozens of repurposed buildings, most of which went from commercial to residential use. Most are at corners, although some can be found mid-block.
]]>- 538 Blair Avenue -
Many houses were built on narrow lots, with smaller “mother-in-law” or alley houses built in the backyards. Although a few alley houses can be found in other neighborhoods, most of Saint Paul’s are unique to Frogtown. Alley houses in some cases began as the main house on a lot. When an owner’s financial fortunes improved, the smaller house was moved to the rear and a larger house became the main house. Or in some cases what began as a summer or year-round kitchen addition was moved, renovated and turned into a little dwelling.
Summer kitchens, buildings pressed into service for food preparation in the days before air conditioning, sometimes were detached from early houses and converted into homes or sheds.
Like many older neighborhoods, Frogtown has a number of buildings that were relocated and repurposed over the years. This is one good example. The larger house on the lot, which has charming front and rear porches, was moved here in 1901. It had served as a school building, rectory and weekday chapel for Saint Agnes parish during the 1880s. At that time it stood at the northwest corner of Kent Street and Lafond Avenue. The little alley house was once a kitchen for the larger house.
Frank Lentsch purchased the house from the parish and moved it to 538 Blair Avenue.
]]>- 514 Charles Aveune -
This large wood frame multi-family dwelling dates from 1879. Its Victorian style and details including a tower and distinctive roofline, as well as window details, make it stand out on a block with several well-preserved homes. It is next to a well-preserved duplex at 510-512 Charles Avenue.
]]>- 481-483 Edmund Avenue -
The James Tracy Double House is a 2 ½ story duplex that has kept its charming wooden gingerbread porch and other building features. It was built in 1890.
]]>- 434-438 Lafond Avenue -
This two-story red brick structure was built in 1888 and looks much the same as it did when it was built as housing, store and community space. It is now the Lafond Avenue Apartments and was converted from a mixed use to a 15-unit multi-family property.
]]>- 400-406 Van Buren -
This 1910 concrete-block row house is believed to be the only one of its kind in Saint Paul. It was designed by John Fischer. It retains many of its Colonial Revival elements.
Like many residential blocks in Frogtown, this is an area where a short walk can reveal a couple dozen different architectural styles.
]]>- 286-288 Thomas Avenue -
This duplex, which was later converted into a fourplex, is built of concrete blocks. It was erected in 1907 and looks much as it did then with a simple entry and bay windows featured in its design. It is an unusual building, not just because of its materials but also because of its design.
]]>Sherburne Avenue between Rice and Dale streets has many older homes and converted neighborhood commercial buildings, some with unique details including ornate brickwork, towers, gingerbread trim, spooncarved details, turrets, bay windows and rounded windows. A wide range of architectural styles can be seen.
Although some houses have been lost to University Avenue business encroachment, many interesting homes remain. One example is 233 Sherburne Ave. Built in 1894 the Colonial style dwelling is known as the N.J. Sonner House. It was built as a single-family home but was later divided into multiple units.
Also note the William Andres House (259 Sherburne Ave.), the Louisa Ramaley House (277 Sherburne Ave.), the Skuhlman and Timm house (419 Sherburne Ave.) and the Ferdinand Schaubschaeger House (538 Sherburne Ave.)
Further down, at 566 and 568 Sherburne Ave. are two Victorian homes with much of their porch detail intact, at 566 Sherburne (Herman Maas House) and 568 Sherburne Ave. Note how close these houses are. Frogtown residential lots are often tiny, so builders tried to get as much structure onto the lot as they could.
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