I’m a huge Bravo TV fan, especially of the Real Housewives franchise.
There’s an episode of the Real Housewives of New Jersey where Teresa Giudice moves into a new mansion styled after a French Chateau. I remember being appalled by how large and gaudy the mansion was.
The James J. Hill House is one of the mansions that I routinely pass during my dog walks by the Cathedral of St. Paul. This Gilded Age mansion was built by railroad magnate James Hill and features 36,000 square feet of livable space.
I’m not sure why I consider Teresa Guidice’s mansion tacky but remain impressed by the mansions on Summit Avenue.
The James J. Hill House in Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul.
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- A mansion on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. The neighborhood is near the Cathedral of St. Paul and known for its large historic homes.
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- The Germanic-American Institute purchased the Summit Avenue Haus in 1965, and refurbished it to suit the needs of a Kulturhaus for social and cultural gatherings.
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- Flowers and landscaping in front of a mansion on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Perhaps the age of the mansions makes them respectable.
Not all of the mansions are old, or architecturally noteworthy. For example, there’s a fairly new mansion near the James J. Hill House which looks just like a medical office building.
This house has more in common with a medical office than a mansion.
The Summit Hill mansions are part of a fairly densely-packed community, which is probably why they don’t seem as tacky as the Guidice mansion (or Minnesota’s other BFE palaces).
I doubt that I’ll ever be able to afford a house on Summit Hill, and even if I could, I think a Horst condo is more my style.