TUDOR DOWN THE BLOCK
Who wouldn’t fall in love with this
subtly colorful house that nestles into its
lot? The sunroom and tucked-in garage
are original, as is the clipped gable.
Cottage shutters replicate old ones.
“My parents called it our little
house of Chicago brick,” says
today’s owner.True, the renovation included no struc-
tural changes, no addition—but even the
exterior benefi ted from fi nesse. “I’d had
a two-tone paint job on the trim,” Joyce
says. “The monochromatic scheme lets
the colored brick star.” Cutout shutters
are the fi nishing touch—and in fact, the
house once had had shutters, but they’d
gone missing. Designer Michael Crull
also replaced light fi xtures with period-
compatible reproductions.
“The fi rst thing I did,” Joyce Block
reports, “was to get the house offi cially
recognized as a Minnetonka Landmark.”
But Joyce was raising four kids at the
time, so it was years before she could see
to restoration. “Finally, I looked around
and saw that time had taken its toll. I was
tired of the ’80s kitchen, tired of the par-
ticleboard fl oor in my bedroom [revealed
when carpeting was pulled up], tired and
frustrated from the task of trying to fi nd a
decorator or builder who could help me.
“Then I googled ‘historic house restora-
tion’, and David Heide’s name came up.
I will never forget the day David came to
see the house. Honestly, within a minute
I knew he was the one... he was excited
and visionary—he knew more about
the house than I did!—he understood
the original design intention, and im-
mediately I felt my appreciation for the
house coming back.” [text cont. on page 90]ABOVE The arched and coved
openings and metalwork are
European Historical Revival
details common in the period
between the World Wars.
RIGHT Bookshelves in niches
set into walls are original,
as is the iconic NuTone
chiming doorbell. The wood
scallop at the bottom shelf
is an original detail echoed
in the new kitchen.