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CategoriesHistory JournalPeriod photograph, 1909: Helen “Nelle” Pillsbury seated against oak panelling with four of her children in white dresses and hair bows, eight years before the Christmas cotillion at the new mansion

What Was the Pillsbury Mansion’s Amusement Room Used For in 1918?

By John K

In November 1918, 1,257 garments for Belgian and French refugees were sorted and packed in…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe grand carved-oak staircase inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, the flight of stairs a Minneapolis ninth-grader filmed for his 1970 remake of Phantom of the Opera.

Why Was a Teenager Filming Phantom of the Opera at the Pillsbury Mansion in 1970?

By John K

In 1970 a Minneapolis ninth-grader shot a Phantom of the Opera remake on the Pillsbury…

CategoriesClub LifeTwo guests seated at a table inside the Pillsbury Club with food and drinks in front of them and a wall of amber and orange stained glass behind.

What Is the Pillsbury Club Collection? One Stay, Three Historic Minneapolis Places

By John K

One stay, three historic Minneapolis properties: how the Pillsbury Club Collection connects 300 Clifton, Oakland’s…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe grand carved-oak staircase inside the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, the flight of stairs a Minneapolis ninth-grader filmed for his 1970 remake of Phantom of the Opera.

Why Are There No Saw Marks on the Pillsbury Mansion’s 400-Year-Old Oak?

By John K

The English oak inside the Pillsbury Mansion was split, not sawn. Here is why that…

CategoriesClub LifeThe dimly lit speakeasy-style bar room at the Pillsbury Club, with oak panelling, a coffered ceiling, a chandelier and a wall of amber stained glass behind the bar.

Where Can You Get a Cocktail Inside a Historic Minneapolis Mansion?

By John K

The Pillsbury Club’s cocktail lounge sits inside a 1916 Minneapolis mansion with imported English oak.…

CategoriesHistory JournalPeriod photograph of the oak-panelled lounge inside the Pillsbury Mansion, showing the carved English panelling and stone fireplace that give the room its texture

Why Did Charles Pillsbury Need Permission to Build His Own Mansion?

By John K

In 1901 the block around the Pillsbury Mansion was sold under strict rules — brick…

CategoriesHistory JournalPainted and stained glass panel in the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion in Minneapolis, part of the centuries-old European glazing installed when the house was built.

What Was the Costessey Collection, and How Did Its Stained Glass Reach Minneapolis?

By John K

The Costessey collection was one of England’s great hoards of stained glass. How it was…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion on East 22nd Street in Minneapolis photographed around 1990, its Gothic entry porch framed by old trees, during the decades it served as an institution rather than a home

What Happened When a Training Center for the Blind Moved Into the Pillsbury Mansion?

By John K

For roughly three decades the Pillsbury Mansion was home to BLIND, Inc., a Minneapolis training…

CategoriesHistory JournalThe John H. Stevens House, the first frame house on the west bank of the Mississippi in Minneapolis, in a 19th-century view

Why Did 10,000 Schoolchildren Pull a House Across Minneapolis in 1896?

By John K

In 1896, 10,000 Minneapolis schoolchildren pulled the city's first house to Minnehaha Park — its…

CategoriesClub LifeCarved stone gable and rooftop figure of the Pillsbury Club mansion, shown in black and white against a dark winter sky.

Which Gilded Age Mansions in Minneapolis Can You Actually Tour Inside?

By John K

Most Minneapolis mansions are admire-from-the-sidewalk only. Here are the Gilded Age homes you can actually…

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