As a home gets passed from one owner to the next, its stories can get lost.
Paulette and Larry Kutzler consider themselves lucky. They've gotten to know the previous owners of their 1891 Victorian in the northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
With its 5,100 square feet, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, various porches and balconies, the home has drawn plenty of admiration. It even garnered a spot in the Minneapolis St. Paul Home Tour in 2019, thanks to the original builder, whose attention to detail made it one of the gems of the neighborhood.
"The house pretty much hasn't been changed a whole lot, in keeping with what was originally there," Paulette said. "It survived the time when people were painting over the wood in their homes. There's still a lot of stained glass, ornate woodwork, beveled edges, hardwood floors. It's quite beautiful."
In 1986, the Kutzlers became the fourth owners. They got to know the third owners when they purchased the home. And they knew the second owners through family and friends. "We already knew a lot about the history," Paulette said.
They learned even more when the grandson of the original owners caught wind that there were new owners. Upon learning that Larry Kutzler was a pastor, he tracked them down at a local church.
"We met the grandson and later the great-grandkids of the builder," Paulette said. "They've been over to the house. It's felt like family."
Keeping a tradition
The home was built by Charles Lunquist, whose family resided there for 45 years. A man of many trades, he ran C.W. Lunquist Co., a manufacturing and construction firm.
Lunquist built two homes in the same block on Adams Street and rented a duplex nearby. He used space in the duplex to craft sashes, moldings, railings and frames for windows and doors. His finishing pieces can be found in the homes he built as well as in stately homes throughout the Twin Cities.
At one point, the Lunquists turned their single-family home into a duplex so that their son and his wife could have their own unit upstairs. Paulette said that when the second homeowner, the Klis family, moved in, they too lived downstairs while their son and his wife lived upstairs.
"They kept the tradition going," Paulette said.
Then there were the Jablonskis, who chose to rent out the upstairs unit. When the Kutzlers bought the house, they used the second floor as an in-law suite for 20 years while the duo raised their two kids in the downstairs unit.
In more recent years, aside from occasional stints of renting out bedrooms, the Kutzlers have primarily used it as a single-family home.
Updating and restoration
In the more than three decades they've lived there, the Kutzlers have continued to maintain and renovate the home. Original details — such as stained glass, pocket doors, ornate woodwork and hardwood floors — can be found throughout, but they've also made modern updates.
"We've done a lot of renovations since we've been here, trying to make it living-able without taking away from the character of the home," Paulette said.
The upstairs living room, which has a balcony and an adjoining parlor with a fireplace, was converted into a primary bedroom. An adjacent bedroom was transformed into a walk-in closet and a bathroom turned into an en suite.
The bathrooms were gutted and updated with new plumbing and electrical systems. The kitchen was given a major makeover, and a pantry was removed to add 6 feet to the heart of the home.
When Paulette turned part of the attic into a crafts room, she scraped through layers of wallpaper until she found the original floral design, with a Hirshfield's tag from 1910.
"It was very tedious," she said of the scraping, "but it's beautiful. It's a nice tie to the past. The house kind of gives us things every once in a while."
The two-car garage, originally a barn with horse stalls, was renovated "because it was dilapidated," said Paulette. A gabled roof was put in and a former hayloft is now used for storage.
The Kutzlers love alfresco living. So in addition to porches and balconies that existed, they added an ivy-strewn pergola to the backyard.
The family also took on restoration projects, including opening up an enclosed first-floor parlor.
"When we met the grandson, he said that the wall wasn't there before so at one point it was added," Paulette said. "We took the wall out. We wanted to put it back to its original form."
Take five
After 36 years, it's time to pass on the stories and the stewardship of the home to the next owners. Paulette is managing two radio stations in the Brainerd Lakes area, so the Kutzlers are relocating.
In the meantime, Paulette will enjoy her favorite nesting place until it's last call.
"There are stained glass windows in the living room that were a gift to Lunquist that have scenes from all four seasons," she said. "I love sitting in the living room at different times of the day when the sun hits the glass and the light shines through in different ways."
And when the time comes to pass the torch, the Kutzlers said, they'll be happy to share their treasure trove of stories collected over the years.
"For a home that was built in 1891 to have four owners and to know the history is so crazy," she said. "It's been an honor. We loved living here and raising our children here. It's been a fun place."
Listing agent Jenni Martin said the square footage and historical aspect of the home are unmatched.
"The size of the home goes on forever," she said. "And how they used to build these kinds of homes, there's so much that can't be replicated."
Jenni Martin (JenniMartin@edinarealty.com; 651-600-0379) of Edina Realty has the $975,000 listing.
