FILLEBROWN HOUSE [WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN]

In 1905, St. Paul residents J. Walter and Harriet Fillebrown purchased a summer cottage in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, from the George B. Young family. They winterized the cottage, or “Red Chalet” as it was known, in the 1920s and the family moved to the home year round. The children of J. Walter and Harriet inherited the family home, but they had no heirs of their own. They later donated the Fillebrown House to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society to become a symbol of the area’s past and a community gathering place for future generations.

Originally, the house was built on heavy timbers that sat directly on the ground. These timbers rotted, causing the house above to shift and settle. A foundation was added in the early 1990s to address the shifting. It wasn’t enough. The home’s main floor became unstable and the doors to this rare example of American Picturesque architecture were closed to the public as a safety precaution.

In addition to providing a formal analysis of the home’s existing conditions at the Fillebrown House, NewStudio worked with AST to develop cost-effective structural designs and construction solutions that fit the budget of the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society.