James J. Hill House

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In 1891, the largest and most expensive house in Minnesota was finally completed. The James J. Hill House contains 36,500 square feet spread out among 5 floors. Peabody, Stearns, and Furber were the architects of the house but Hill oversaw all of the whole construction and accepted nothing but the best. James J. Hill was a very rich man who worked on the railroad and his railroad was the backbone of white American Settlement. When asked about the secret to his success, his reply was, "Work, hard work, intelligent work, and then work some more." Some of the highlights of the house include 13 bathrooms, 22 fireplaces, an 88 foot reception hall, elaborate mahogany woodwork, and a 3 story pipe organ. The total cost of construction, furnishings, and landscape ended up being $931,275 or would be about $22 million dollars today. This house is still admired to this day and the architecture still awes the visitors.

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