A historic Neoclassical home sits in the treetops of Rochester's Pill Hill
Jul. 23—ROCHESTER — On his hillside escape, Dr. Walter Shelden drew inspiration to write.
In oral history shared with Realtor Nita Khosla of Edina Realty, Shelden is said to have created a writing studio in a detached garage on his property nestled by trees. The garage space itself, besides the space filled with windows, was "very, very rare" in 1910, Khosla said. Over the years, the property grew to include a two-car garage.
From a wrap-around deck and second-story balcony, the four-bedroom and three-bathroom home carries views of the neighborhood.
"It sits up on top of the hill so it looks like it's sitting in the treetop, it's very pretty," Khosla said of the Pill Hill property at 503 Eighth Ave. SW. The home is listed for $999,900.
The pillars on the front of the house mark the Neoclassical or Greek Revival style architecture, which was popular in the 1700s and 1800s in the United States and Europe. Khosla said it is believed to be the only Neoclassical style home in Rochester.
Neoclassical architecture
includes a "dramatic use of columns" as seen in many "major government buildings," according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The Pill Hill homes, close to the Mayo Clinic and downtown, stretch between Third Street and Ninth Street Southwest and Seventh and 10th Avenue Southwest. Most of the homes were built between 1903 to 1937 in colonial, Tudor revival, prairie school, craftsman, Spanish colonial revival and bungalow styles.
While working at the Mayo Clinic,
Shelden served as the first neurology consultant,
or faculty member, in 1913. He neighbored with surgeons, a bank president and Dr. William J. Mayo's staff members, according to the
National Register of Historic Places document
on Pill Hill homes. One hundred and thirty of the homes received the historic recognition in 1991 for their architecture and social history.
As a homeowner in the Pill Hill area, Khosla said she enjoys old houses. And with the updates in the home, including the kitchen and solar panels on the roof, she sees the home keeping its "original charm."
"The nice things about these old houses are the wood floors and the woodwork and the nice outside features," Khosla said.
When the Rochester Golf and Country Club expanded to 18 holes,
Shelden helped develop the course
with Albert Warren Tillinghast. He also
planted 5,000 pine tree seedlings,
according to the club website. The club hosts an annual golf tournament in his honor.
"Trust us on this one, all the pine trees planted by Dr. Walter Shelden several years ago at the Rochester Country Club are now very tall and intimidating," a Post Bulletin reporter
wrote in 1989.
"They are beautiful to look at, but only if you're not trying to play out of them."
At his home on Eighth Avenue Southwest, Shelden enjoyed a panoramic view from one of the upstairs rooms, which opens up with winter's bare trees. When the leaves still rustle in the wind, Khosla said, "You look like you're sitting in a treehouse, it's incredible."