Restored 1947 St. Paul rambler with 'midcentury flavor' lists for $625,000

The midcentury modern rambler in Barry Riesch's St. Anthony Park neighborhood was marketed as a teardown.

But the St. Paul resident didn't want the home to succumb to a wrecking ball. Nor did he want it to be replaced with a new home that dwarfed the lot and the rest of the homes in the neighborhood.

So Riesch, a retired carpenter and municipal building inspector, stepped in.

"I've been in construction my whole adult life. I love architecture, remodels and transformation," he said. "But I wasn't looking for trouble. I wasn't looking for a teardown."

While the home had "severe" landscape issues and the place was rundown, he said, the structure was in decent shape.

Riesch purchased the 1947 rambler for $154,500 two years ago and has been updating and restoring the place to its midcentury modern glory ever since.

"I could see the value. I knew it was a nice house at one time and it was worth saving," he said. "In certain neighborhoods around the city there are teardowns and rebuilds that a lot of times don't fit into the neighborhood. They're McMansions."

A rescued rambler

Riesch gutted most of the home. To make sure it ran as efficiently as possible, he updated the electrical and plumbing systems. An electric water heater was installed and spaces were reinsulated before new sheetrock went in.

"I've been over every square inch of wall and ceiling surfaces," he said.

Riesch also made quality updates and upgrades. Original details were preserved and restored whenever possible, including hardwood floors and a Kasota stone fireplace. Windows were replaced throughout the home.

The kitchen was given a makeover with new appliances, countertops and custom cabinets. Sliding doors were added to the dining area to provide access to a newly built deck. Bathrooms all received updates.

Riesch also tackled the partially finished basement, updating the family room and adding a laundry room and bathroom. He also added 140 square feet of usable space by building an addition on top of a former bomb shelter, which he excavated, waterproofed and insulated. That addition became the new primary bedroom.

Riesch used a second bedroom on the main floor to create an en suite and a closet off the primary bedroom. He gave that bedroom the star treatment by adding a private patio.

Outside, Riesch regraded the lot to direct drainage away from the home's foundation and put in a new retaining wall. While he was at it, he landscaped the yard, repaved the driveway and put on a new roof.

With every update, Riesch tried to pay homage to the period in which the home was built.

"It was certainly built in the midcentury and it was definitely modern, so I kept with the midcentury flavor and modern theme," Riesch said. "Because I wasn't going to live there, I tried to make it not too extravagant, so it's still going to be marketable and appeal to a wide range of people."

'Not a flipper'

Now that the restoration of the rambler is complete, Riesch has listed the Keston Street home featuring three bedrooms, three bathrooms and spanning 1,827 square feet.

To Riesch, this wasn't about making an investment, but rather saving the home from demolition.

"I'm not a flipper. I have a tendency to be thorough so I have to do it according to things that I could live with instead of just make it look nice enough to sell," he said.

"I probably went well beyond what I was going to reap as far as the sale price. I'm just hoping someone will fall in love with it and it will have at least another 40, 50 years."

Listing agent Karen Rue said fans of midcentury homes will appreciate its classic features such as corner windows, light-filled rooms, an abundance of closets and hardwood floors.

And the fact that the rambler was rescued by someone with a background in construction and building codes doesn't get any more ideal.

"He really knew what he was doing and brought in the right subcontractors and contractors," Rue said. "It was an intentional restoration. Not many people have the patience and know-how to be able to pull this off."

Karen Rue (612-916-1110; karenrue@edinarealty.com) and (noelkrueger@edinarealty.com; 612-703-5575) of Edina Realty have the $625,000 listing.