The Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, unseen from London Road, faces Lake Superior on a 7.6-acre wooded parcel bordered by Tischer Creek (the Glen) and Bent Brook.
The estate, a short drive from downtown en route to the North Shore, is 100 years old. It's a remarkable testament to the craftsmen, artisans, architects and designers of the era.
Since 1979 the Congdon Estate has been a museum open to the public under the ownership of the University of Minnesota Duluth and management of the fine arts department. Great effort has been made to restore all elements of the grounds and buildings with respect to historical accuracy.
Visitors may choose the one-hour or a 90-minute guided tour. We chose the expanded tour which got us to the third floor, the distinctive arts and crafts bedrooms of the four sons of Chester and Clara Congdon.
The Congdons also had three daughters. Marjorie, the third oldest child, was famously murdered along with her night nurse by the husband of her adopted daughter in 1977. Our tour guide only touched on this in passing but several books on the mansion murders are available in the museum shop.
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Chester and Clara, we're told, consulted at every step with the architect, interior designer and master landscaper during the three-year build from 1905 to 1908. Room designs and materials were selected around themes. Pineapples -- a sign of hospitality -- grace many rooms either as carved ornaments, paintings or in upholstery fabric.
What makes this lakeside estate remarkable is that most of the furnishings are original. The rooms that had been "updated" in the 1960s are being returned to the original color and texture of the walls, ceiling, rugs and fabrics.
In room after room we saw pieces of exquisitely crafted furniture and stunning pieces of art from around the globe. It was really too much to take in during a short visit.
The two-story Carriage House preserves the Congdon carriages in near mint condition. The original tack is hung on a wall across from the rather elegant stable area.
Tours are offered daily mid-May through mid-October and on weekends the rest of the year. The standard tour is $13 for adults and the expanded tour $24 for adults. Children ages 7 to 12 are $7 and $13, respectively. Five and under are free and there is a family price on the standard tour of $40. The self-guided tour of the grounds, including the gardens, pier and glen is included or you can enjoy the grounds only for $5 per person.
For more information visit www.glensheen.org or call 1-888-454-4536.
