'Modernized' 1918 Bryn Mawr home perfect for entertaining lists for $629,900

With features such as a bar inspired by the Monte Carlo restaurant, a wine fridge and ample space for fancy glassware, Peter Michaud and husband Tom Wilson's home has been ideal for entertaining.

And they hope it will be for the next homeowner, as well. The couple just listed their 2,347-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis. They bought it in 1994, when Michaud started law school at the University of Minnesota.

After the firm he was a partner of sold to a group based in Philadelphia and was named to that company's board, Michaud said, they decided to sell. It was difficult to maintain a home while they split their time between Minneapolis and the East Coast.

"We'll miss the house," Michaud said. "While it's a little bittersweet goodbye, we hope we can find a buyer who can carry on its traditions."

The house was a popular hangout spot, including with neighbors in recent years when a light was switched on in the basement bar to signal "happy hour."

"We joked we should have an open and closed sign to tell people when they could come in and enjoy a drink," Michaud said. "It's a really fun neighborhood, and people know each other and take care of each other."

Practically everything in the home, built in 1918, has been remodeled. But Michaud and Wilson made sure to balance their renovations with the home's original build.

That meant that the kitchen baseboards they replaced were the same size and matched the trim of the rest of the home. The couple kept the buffet in the dining room exactly how they found it, appreciating that a previous owner in the 1950s stripped and restored the original piece once layered with paint, Michaud said.

"We tried to modernize the house and at the same time keep to the integrity of the home," he said.

Fun touches

The bar at the Monte Carlo in downtown Minneapolis, with its signature mirrored back wall and glass shelving, provided inspiration for the basement bar, Michaud said. During the latter part of the pandemic, it became the spot to hang out. Michaud would open all the windows in the basement and happy hour would be held there, sometimes spilling onto two concrete patios when the weather was nice.

"We decided to go all out and have a space to entertain," said Michaud of the renovations, noting that their original plan for the bar was much smaller. "It turned from a small place with cocktails into a full-blown bar."

On the main floor, the spacious kitchen with a wine fridge was also great for gatherings with even more space in the living room next to it.

Michaud and Wilson have made plenty of renovations over the years. There's the bathroom complete with a Roman statue modeled after a hotel they both adored. (Perhaps an added bonus: Michaud said they are willing to part with that and other furniture if the buyer so desires.)

The nearly "maintenance-free" yard and gardens gush with blooming perennials during the warmer months. And there are also beautiful green and gold stained glass windows the couple installed in the dining room.

But the best part, they said, is the smallest room in the house: the front porch.

"Almost every night we'd sit out there with a martini and glass of wine. You can watch people go by," Michaud said. "That room — that's the one we'll miss most because it has a really great feel even though it's small."

In addition to a house ripe for entertaining, listing agent Alan Birk said, the home's location — just down the street from Bryn Mawr Elementary School, Anwatin Middle School and trails that lead to nearby Theodore Wirth Regional Park — is also ideal.

"It's close to downtown, it's so convenient and it's got that small-town feel with the gas station and restaurants nearby," Birk added. "It's very walkable."

Alan Birk (Alanbirk@edinarealty.com; 952-285-3131) of Edina Realty has the $629,900 listing.