The historic Justus Ramsey House was being dismantled this week on the patio at Burger Moe’s, 242 W. Seventh St. Removal of the roof on February 15 meant the limestone walls could start being removed piece by piece and packed up for storage. Deconstruction of the two-room house was required to be completed by February 20.
Could be moved to West Seventh lot or elsewhere
The stone cottage, built circa 1852, was believed to be the oldest surviving home in its original location in Saint Paul. The disassembly and storage is saving it from demolition, but when and where it will rebuilt remains unclear.
Last month, Don Kohler and Rita Dalbec came forward with a proposal to move the house to a vacant lot Kohler owns at 1072 W. Seventh St. They would like to reuse it as a home and law office. City Council member Rebecca Noecker, who represents the West Seventh neighborhood, said she would help find additional resources for the move.
However, Meg Duhr, who chairs the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation’s Transportation and Land Use Committee, said it is possible that another site for the house could be found, as interest has been expressed by other parties. The district council, which is working with Historic Saint Paul on the project, hopes to issue a request for proposals for reassembling the house in the near future, Duhr said.
The stone cottage, built circa 1852, was believed to be the oldest surviving home in its original location in Saint Paul. The disassembly and storage is saving it from demolition, but when and where it will rebuilt remains unclear.
Saved from demolition at 11th hour
The fate of the house took several turns late last month. Mayor Melvin Carter signed orders on January 23 calling for the house to be torn down due to its deteriorated condition. That was just two days before the City Council was expected to hear an appeal by Burger Moe’s owner Mojtaba Sharifkhani, aka Moe Sharif. He had sought a city permit to demolish the house, but was denied by the Historic Preservation Commission and was appealing that decision.
Members of the Fort Road Federation, Historic Irvine Park Association, Little Bohemia Neighborhood Association and Historic Saint Paul rallied to attempt to save the structure. They went to Ramsey County District Court to get a temporary restraining order against demolition on January 24.
The next day the City Council, acting as the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), whittled down a request for $115,000 and allocated $84,000 from a city emergency business fund for the house’s deconstruction and removal. Then on a 6-1 vote on February 8, the council reduced the amount to $34,000 based on actual estimated costs.
Deconstruction begins
A building permit was approved during the first week of this month and deconstruction began on February 10.
While the Fort Road Federation is the fiscal agent for the project, the February 8 action absolves it of any liability if the house is not reassembled. The sole vote against the funding change at that meeting came from council member Mitra Jalali, who questioned how the city was handling the request. Jalali was absent for the initial January vote.
The house was built by Justus Ramsey, the brother of Minnesota’s first territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey. Justus Ramsey never lived in the house, but rented it out. It has been cited as a longtime home for members of the city’s Black community. The structure later served as an antique shop before Burger Moe’s built its patio around it.
The house has both local and national historic designations, and is part of a historic district of stone houses. Because the house is being disassembled and moved, it will lose its designation on the National Register of Historic Places.
— Jane McClure
COMMENTS TERMS OF SERVICE
MyVillager welcomes comments from readers. Please include your full name and the neighborhood in which you live. Be respectful of others and stay on topic. We reserve the right to remove any comment we deem to be profane, rude, insulting or hateful. Comments will be reviewed before being published.
