Unique Minneapolis Duplex Architecture Surprises

After more than two decades selling Minneapolis and St Paul duplexes, it’s pretty rare for me to see something I haven’t seen before.

This week, it happened twice.

I reached out to the owner of the first duplex when I accidentally stumbled upon her for rent ad on Facebook Marketplace.  Her ad featured a photo of the front of her duplex; a double bungalow in the Longfellow neighborhood with a turret in the front. Yes, a turret; an architectural feature much more common on a Queen Anne home of the Victorian era, than featured with the clean straight lines of the Craftsman homes more common in the neighborhood.

I had to ask for a tour.

Duplex foyer

This double bungalow had to have been custom-built.

First, the turret is not just an exterior feature of the home. The foyers of each unit are rounded as well; creating a unique architectural theme that continues throughout the property.  In fact, the rounded detail is carried throughout the home; in doorways, above the bathtub, on the phone nook, and where doorbell chimes once hung. The end of the kitchen counter is rounded; a feature more commonly found in properties built in the 1950s. And even round windows grace an upstairs bedroom in each unit.

Perhaps most unusual, the turret in the front of the house has a full basement beneath it!

I can honestly say I don’t think there’s another duplex like it in the Twin Cities.

My second pleasant surprise was in Linden Hills. I’ve seen many up-down Craftsman-era duplexes, and always love their utilitarian nature. While built-ins and phone nooks are not unusual in this style of architecture, a drop-down bench to sit on while making calls definitely is. It made a lot of sense given that at the time the duplex was built, the phone and receiver were tethered to the wall.

Cleary whoever built the duplex loved talking on the phone.

One of the most rewarding things about looking at houses and duplexes is the stories the properties tell; not only about the people who live there now but also those that went before. It makes me feel connected to another time in a way few other things can.