James J. Hill House

It had been years since we’ve toured the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, so we thought it would be fun to take our out-of-town guests there and see it again.

On weekends the house is open for self-guided tours. There are volunteers throughout, happy to answer questions.

The house was built in 1891 by James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon of the Great Northern Railroad fame. The house has 36,000 square feet and five levels. That’s one big house.

I found the main floor the most impressive, with gorgeous and elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork and marble fireplaces.

The art gallery, music room, drawing room, formal dining room, a small eating area, and the library/den were all on the first floor. 

The beautiful expansive staircase to the second floor was my favorite place in the whole house. It had stain-glass windows above the landing to let in natural light. Otherwise I found the house to be dark throughout, even though they had electric lights installed when it was built.

The second and third floors housed bedrooms and female servant quarters and a schoolroom for the eight children who lived there. James and Mary Hill had ten children. One died young and another was married by the time they moved into this mansion.

The kitchen was in the basement along with the male servants living quarters. The attic was the top floor of course, and a playroom. We were not allowed to go down to the basement, or up into the attic.

Compared to the Hubbard House in Mankato, the historic house we toured earlier this month (see previous post), I was much more impressed with the Hubbard House, which is a mere 4,800+ square feet. However, I am glad we went to see the James J. Hill House – it is worthwhile to see, and a part of Minnesota’s history.