St. Paul's Justus Ramsey House to be rebuilt on Transportation Museum grounds

Months after St. Paul's historic Justus Ramsey House was disassembled and removed from a restaurant patio in the city's West 7th neighborhood, neighbors and preservationists have identified a site where the 171-year-old stone cottage can be rebuilt.

The Minnesota Transportation Museum, located in the Thomas-Dale neighborhood just two miles from the house's original location, plans to use it to tell the story of the African American railroad workers who once inhabited it.

The announcement Friday closes a chapter in the roller coaster saga of one of St. Paul's oldest homes, which was nearly destroyed at the start of the year.

The house stood off W. 7th Street at Burger Moe's, which received a demolition permit last year from the city after the vacant structure was judged a safety hazard. Preservationists staged an all-night vigil to fend off construction crews and rally support.

Community groups and the City Council eventually facilitated the disassembly of the house, which was listed on three historic registers. The careful deconstruction happened much to the chagrin of many neighbors, who felt the historic home should remain where it was built in 1852 by the brother of Minnesota's first territorial governor, Alexander Ramsey.

Over the summer, a group from the West 7th/Fort Road Federation, Historic St. Paul, the Little Bohemia Neighborhood Association and others issued a request for proposals for reconstruction. The group received four letters of intent and two final design proposals.

Though the organizations had previously hoped to keep the Justus Ramsey House in the West 7th neighborhood, Gibson Stanton of Historic St. Paul said the selection committee was swayed by the Minnesota Transportation Museum's "long-demonstrated ability to be a steward of historic resources."

"I think this is the best possible outcome for the scenario," Stanton said.

Earlier this year, the Transportation Museum debuted its "Twin Tracks" exhibit highlighting the work of African American railway porters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Larry Paulson, a museum board member, said he envisions using the Justus Ramsey House to help tell their stories outside their work lives.

The exhibit will also take a look at Black migration patterns in St. Paul. The West 7th area was the center of the city's African American community before the ascent of the Rondo neighborhood, said Frank White, a local historian who helped unearth the cottage's historic ties.

"That's a piece of history, that in my opinion, is underrepresented in our greater picture of Minnesota and St. Paul history," White said. "This helps continue that story."

Paulson said museum officials plan to start clearing a site for the house on the northeast corner of its property this spring. He hopes the house — currently a pile of limestone bricks packed away on pallets — can be rebuilt next summer, but the timeline is contingent on fundraising. The museum estimates it will need $500,000 to pay for the site prep, reconstruction and utilities.

Though displays and illustrations will likely focus on the Justus Ramsey House's railway connections, Paulson said the museum plans to cover the cottage's entire history in the West 7th neighborhood, which evolved around the tiny home over decades.

"Hopefully," Paulson said, "it will be here for another 170 years and beyond."