James J. Hill House in Saint Paul

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comments 5

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  Linda Denny

  :: 17 May 2018 22:49:52

  Definitely make appt for tour time, docent energetic and very knowledgeable. Extensive spaces, history of family and times of building, living in St Paul. Preservation of home reveals luxury for family members, conditions of staff work areas, tasks, responsibilities. Honest presentation, truthful for good and bad economy, personal traits of male family members. Extremely wealthy for times, how it impacted servants lives. 2 parents with 8 children make a lot of laundry!

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  troy porcello

  :: 17 May 2018 19:17:28

  I took my 11 year old on the guided tour. He wasn't excited about going but got excited when he saw the house and was able to explore a little before the tour began. I was amazed that the tour held his attention all the way to the last room. Woohoo much to see and learn by going to the James J. Hill house. We talked about it for days. I'm definitely going to go again with my wife. A must see for locals and anyone who appreciates a little bit of History.

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  D Rein

  :: 27 April 2018 08:08:14

  This place was amazing to visit!! It was set up very nicely and the staff was very informative! I can’t believe I have lived here my whole life and it took my until recently to visit this historical landmark! I liked that we were not pressured to move quickly through the house as there is a lot to see! If you are looking for something fun and informative to do when in the area, this is a perfect place to visit!

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  Christopher Augustinack

  :: 10 February 2018 19:14:03

  Wonderful place to spend an afternoon! There is so much history to see in every inch of it, you could go several times and find something new each time. If you enjoy history and beautiful architecture, the tour is for you. Our tour guide was very funny and INCREDIBLY knowledgeable. I highly recommend it!

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  Matt W

  :: 22 January 2018 00:39:45

  My family absolutely loved my visit to the James J Hill House during a recent trip to the Twin Cities. While I'm a card-carrying history geek, that label certainly does not apply to the rest of my family. The fact I could get my nerd on without having my family bored to tears during the 75-minute guided tour warrants a five star rating in and of itself. The tour guide who took us through each room was friendly and knowledgeable; she made the experience even better. Viewing the exquisite woodwork alone is worth the modest price of admission ($9 for adults). Our tour guide indicated the mansion's woodwork took 30,000 hours to carve. Unlike many other mansion tours I have experienced, you are allowed to take pictures as you walk through the 36,000 square foot mansion. In addition to a multitude of in wonderful interior shots, you get some unique pictures of St Paul Cathedral from the second floor of the mansion. The children of James Hill removed much of the original furniture from the house when they donated the mansion to the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul in 1925. However, family members have returned many of those pieces in subsequent years. We visited on St Patrick's Day weekend, so for Irish Heritage Day, were treated to bagpipe music in addition to a demonstrations of the three story pipe organ. The tour includes a 10-minute biographical video on James J. Hill.