Doors of Tangletown: Hansen's pendergast of 1927
the story of the hansen’s summit to the peak of minneapolis architecture is like many difficult climbs one embarks on in life: persistence and patience pursued as these two kept their focus & positivity despite a lengthy home search spanning over 18 months.
the resulting Pendergast victory is one of true textbook architecturally-focused expedition: scouring the marketplace with immense patience & a poised understanding, a prerequisite for securing remarkable spanish revivals: which are needle in a haystack level probability.
Enter Ella Pendergast: a dominant force in the landscape of the washburn park area of Tangletown, Ella owned the land and developed 16 residents in Tangletown proper between 1925-1929, in addition to East Harriet, Isles and the 1920s boom totaling 69 residences, her final example near Cedar Lake on Dean Parkway in 1930. Pendergast was a single mother of 3, having lost her contractor husband in 1923, she flourished as a developer following his death, her legacy is left in tangletown via the signature spanish revival tudors that have entered historic protection status from our lens and many of her owners’.
Pendergast’ examples that remain intact today feature: sunken living rooms, ornate plaster, a trademark entryway with limestone flooring under pillow-vaulted arched ceilings, wrought iron railings, hand-hewed stenciled beam ceilings, soaring coved arches and through through into interior to exterior floor- often french door and screen room flow from common chambers on the main floor- a cosmopolitan advance for the times of the late 20s.
the pendergast’ played a role in candy history with that of Franklin Mars, who acquired the recipe for his Nougat from Ella’s entrepreneur son Raymond, this recipe later became the basis for the Mars candy families empire, they purchased 220 w minnehaha from the Pendergast’s prior to departing for new york city, this example lives on today with our neighbors Brandon & Jacob who are beginning a renovation to her kitchen this summer.
“Dallas grew up in a super-efficient 50s house in rural North Dakota designed by a family of engineers, and Diana lived in a 30s Georgian revival house in Houston with amazing Flemish bond brickwork. In Kansas City, we lived in a 1941 house with charming architectural detail but awkward flow. Rare Form was a natural fit for our goal of a historic home in a walkable neighborhood and how we thought about the home search.”
how did they land it? amongst the heaviest traffic of January listings in decades: Hansen’s Pendergast, became so solely due to the trust and understanding gathered by the way of their journey with Rare Form. When West Minnehaha became available, it was the destiny that these two would land her, despite the 5 offers & myriad of competition.
This true time capsule of Minneapolis history would result, one that commands the attention of Dallas & Diana for decades. Good things come to those who wait, and the education of the journey provided these two with a depth of understanding that planted the deed of this pendergast example firmly in their grasp.
Diana, Dallas, & David: this beautiful threesome of bright eyed D’s descended on Minneapolis relocating for Dallas’ commodity trading firm in Downtown Mpls. their long history with classic architecture inspired our greeting at Rare Form in early 2020.
D & D sought out Rare Form as they desired a truly scarce example of original architecture, they rented a home in country club edina, which at first glance, was the initial focus for the first 6-8 months of our search. A strange thing occurred while being immersed in the culture of CC, the revelation that while the facades of the homes remain classically intact, the interiors are re-remodeled every 5-7 years, and the “jones’” culture that runs along with that became an exhausting idealism to attempt to attend.
edina’s jones’ culture became too much, & we pivoted to the more naturalistic setting of Tangletown, where preservation culture still flickers throughout her winding hillsides. D & D had toured so many examples over the years, the fine tuned specifics of original architecture had to be be apparent for us to strike.
“The Pendergast’s were most active in Tangletown, where it is obvious that the Pendergast houses are standing the test of time with several owned by RFP purveyors. The history and incredible location give the property a strong sense of place.”
the pendergast family resided and built several examples of spanish revival architecture in tangletown, this one being one of the most intact in terms of original attributes, beginning with their startling trademark: a limestone entry foyer under pillow vaulted arches that center the flow between large dining room & huge sunken living room, Hansen’s having arched doors on both ends for east and west light.
the list of unicorn level originality continues at 226: period correct sconces throughout, hand stamped & chiseled box beams, birch shaker wardrobes throughout the upper level sleeping rooms, limestone entry, & outstanding plaster detail throughout. Her lighting scope has much left to be desired but were sorting that out along with enamel, paint, and hardwoods via their improvement co. “move-in-special”
RFP: you were victorious in a bidding war environment on the pendergast mediterranean, over 150 people came to the open house, talk about the poise and patience required, and how did you spring into action and defeat the 4-5 other parties?
“Given the general scarcity of single-family homes within the US and especially in our desired areas with a 4/3+ configuration we knew that we needed to act quickly when we saw a home that we were interested in. The 10yr yield moved up 20% since Christmas (this was first week of Feb) and signs pointed to rates increasing so we knew that waiting might not be advisable. Most importantly we are a very decisive household: while Dallas is the professional trader, Diana is probably the most decisive and market-oriented of the team and was very comfortable executing the bids needed to win the property. As Steve said, “bring your checkbook”…
RFP: we toured a variety of neighborhoods, large lot examples , talk about how you landed on Spanish revival, are there elements of other homes you miss?
It took us a while to realize where our family would be best placed and which neighborhoods have the most to offer at our price point. Again Steve was quite honest in explaining our neighborhood options and ultimately was 100% right on where we should be looking. Tangletown is amazing as far as its access to both nature and the city, and we really like that for our family.
“I have always been partial to Spanish Med Revivals, they are interesting and beautiful without being hard to live in like some Tudors for example. I also think they tend to look great in snow which is a benefit here in Minnesota.”
RFP: you resided in old town Kansas City rich with architecture, how did your prior experiences play into the eras targeted in Minneapolis? Tell us about your respective histories with architecture?
Dallas grew up in a super-efficient 50s house in rural North Dakota designed by a family of engineers who first lived there with lots of built-ins, an overbuilt kitchen, and chalkboards in the basement, and Diana lived in a 30s Georgian revival house in Houston with amazing Flemish bond brickwork. In Kansas City, we lived in a 1941 house with charming architectural detail but awkward flow. We knew we wanted another historic home but wanted a design that used the space better. Our KC neighborhood was not very walkable, and we wanted to live in a more walkable area here. Rare Form was a natural fit for our goal of a historic home in a walkable neighborhood and how we thought about the home search.
RFP: the Pendergast has a specific history with minneapolis: what have you learned, and what 'owner-of-record' improvements are you planning to accomplish in the first five years?
We love the story of Ella Pendergast and her son being a building team in Minneapolis. Ella Pendergast and her architect son Jack were designers and home builders who built several notable homes in Tangletown, on Lake Harriet, in Country Club, and around Cedar Lake. They were most active in Tangletown, where it is obvious that the Pendergast houses are standing the test of time with several owned by RFP purveyors. The history and incredible location give the property a strong sense of place.
To start we are doing the standard sorting to refresh floors, bring period or appropriate tier lighting, and refresh the paint. Developing the front yard to bring more nature to the house is something we would certainly like to explore. Later we plan to redo the kitchen out of the 90s/early 2000s “stone quarry theme” to a kitchen that fits the rest of the property. Finally, the parking space in the back could be made into a garage/office combo at some point down the road.
“You are facing a numbers game – there are only so many homes not on an unlimited budget around lakes/creek in MPLS especially in South MPLS. Be honest with Steve on your goals and budget and he will take you to the houses that you need to consider. Overall we are so fortunate to partner with Rare Form to get the right house for our family.”
RFP: the original attached garage was awkward and needs some major sorting to be functional- talk about how you were able to overlook items on the list?
Diana: You have to step back and consider your actual priorities. I grew up in Houston, where you drive and therefore park everywhere, and ease of parking is something a former version of myself would have prioritized. But you're not buying a house for your car! You're buying it for your family, and I am so grateful that our son will get to grow up on the creek. You can have one or two absolute deal breakers, but otherwise strive for flexibility. Don't get hung up on things that aren't your dealbreakers. When you're looking at historic homes, you will make some compromises over modern conveniences, and it's absolutely worth it for the character of your home.
Dallas: I am going to have to skip getting a manual transmission car, but otherwise I think we will make it work.
RFP: what takeaway learning items would you share with other aspiring legacy move up buyers..?
You are facing a numbers game – there are only so many homes not on an unlimited budget around lakes/creek in MPLS especially in South MPLS. Be honest with Steve on your goals and budget and he will take you to the houses that you need to consider. Overall we are so fortunate to partner with Rare Form to get the right house for our family.
Hats off to Dallas, Diana, and little David!
this was another fitting end to a long journey for the right home for them, they haven’t even began their personal improvements to the space and its already such a joyous structure to visit and enjoy.
Welcome to the neighborhood guys.