【Minnesota History】American Swedish Institute

Founded in 1908, the Turnblad Mansion, affectionately known as the "castle," is located on the campus of the American Swedish Institute. It has a unique and grand style. 🍃🌸 This impressive building, with its towering turrets and steep roof, evokes the French Renaissance architectural style and is referred to as a château - style building. The hand - carved grotesques, decorative lions, and the legendary facade of the mansion are made of Indiana limestone embedded with millions - year - old fossils, sourced from the same quarry as the stone used for the Empire State Building. Constructed between 1904 and 1908, it was designed by Minneapolis architects Christopher Boehme and Victor Cordella, undoubtedly influenced by the suggestions of the client, the Turnblad family. 🍃🌸 The Turnblad Mansion is one of only eight surviving buildings from the peak period of Park Avenue (1885 - 1921), when the street was known as Minneapolis's "Golden Mile." The Turnblad Mansion is a labor of love, with its exterior stonework and interior woodwork and decorative plasterwork showcasing the master craftsmanship of skilled artisans. 🍃🌸The mansion has 33 rooms, each with its own unique style and decoration, ranging from Gustavian to Moorish. There are 11 tile stoves imported from Sweden, known as kakelugnar. 🍃🌸 The painted - glass Visby Window overlooks the hall: it is both unique and an important connection to Swedish culture, for the Turnblad family a century ago and for visitors today. #USA 🌟