Repairs Coming Soon for Three Historic Minneapolis Park Buildings, Including Ard Godfrey House

Siding on the Ard Godfrey House was repaired in October 2021 thanks to a partnership with the Hennepin County Community Productive Day Program

Partnership with Hennepin County Community Corrections and Rehabilitation aids effort to rehabilitate historic park buildings

The Ard Godfrey House, John H. Stevens House, and Longfellow House are scheduled for repairs this fall as part of ongoing efforts to rehabilitate historic structures located in Minneapolis parks.

Repairs at the Ard Godfrey House will be performed by participants in the Hennepin County's Productive Day Program, which pays people on parole or probation an hourly training stipend while they learn transferable skills. Participants who successfully complete on-the-job training and off-site classroom curriculum earn a certificate in general carpentry skills and are prepared for union apprenticeship employment. 

The partnership between Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) began last summer, when participants repaired siding on the Ard Godfrey House. After those successful repairs in 2021, program participants will return to the Ard Godfrey House to paint its exterior this fall. 

The historic Ard Godfrey House, located at 28 University Ave. SE in Chute Square, is the oldest surviving frame home in the Twin Cities. Built in 1848, the Greek Revival house was the residence for the Ard Godfrey family. The building was extensively restored by the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis in 1975 and opened to public tours in 1979. A replica of the house’s kitchen wing, which had collapsed in 1908, opened in 1985. It's filled with furnishings and household items authentic to the period 1849-1853. The Ard Godfrey House is open weekends 1-4 pm in June, July and August for free guided tours. Learn more at the Women's Club of Minneapolis website.