Kitchens: Over $175,000 St. Paul

John Kraemer & Sons, Inc.

Built in 1905 for MN Supreme Court Justice Oscar Hallam, this brick Victorian home is situated in the heart

of St. Paul’s Crocus Hill. It was designed by Minnesota’s premier residential architect, Clarence H.

Johnston and still bears many of his signature details within its restrained elegance. Original details

include hand-carved stone capitals on the front porch columns, the iridescent tan brick veneer, and large

detailed roof rafters.

Mindful of the original architect’s design, the current owners wished to be good stewards and maintain the

integrity of this historic landmark. The primary objective was to assure the remodeled home caters to a

modern family’s lifestyle while retaining all the charm, elegance and beauty for which it had been known.

With a subtle addition that doubled the existing kitchen area, the team was able to re-create portions of the

original layout that had been stripped out by previous owners. The delightful new Butler’s Pantry brings

back old-fashioned function. This dream remodeled home is as welcoming outside as it is in.

By executing the addition, adding a mudroom and significant square footage to the kitchen, functionality

was gained for a family that was feeling crammed by the tight spaces in their home. Before the addition,

there was no mudroom to speak of. Before the addition there was no Butler’s Pantry which was imperative

to have for a family who entertains a lot. Gaining that space added great functionality and flow between the

kitchen and dining room.

The homeowners wanted a very elegant kitchen that compliments the rest of this historic home. Some of

the features include: Carrara and Emperador Dark marble countertops; Walnut island; two chandeliers

over the island; limestone range hood; eating booth for the kids; new butler's pantry; Coco Chanel inspired

walnut refrigerator paneling.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

During this project, we encountered probably one of the biggest obstacles we’ve ever had in our 35 year

history of building and remodeling homes. When we started tearing brick off the back of the house to make

way for the addition, we figured we would find a simple wood framed wall. Instead, what we found was that

the house was literally built like a tank. The back wall of the house was not stick framed, but instead built

with brick 14 inches thick. To overcome this, we had to shore up the entire back of the house by installing

two gigantic steel beams to hold the back of the house up, so we could move forward with the addition.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: continued

FLOOR PLAN: before

FLOOR PLAN: after

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Kitchen Before 1

AFTER PHOTO: #1

Kitchen After 1

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Kitchen Before 2

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Kitchen After 2

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Kitchen Before 3

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Kitchen After 3

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Kitchen After 4

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Kitchen After 5