Southview Design's Landscape Design for St. Paul Home to be Featured in the June Luxury Home Tour

Minneapolis, Minnesota (PRWEB) March 17, 2015

Homes in St. Pauls historic Summit Hill and Crocus Hill neighborhoods offer a unique set of landscaping challenges for even the most experienced landscape designers at Southview Design.

Award-winning landscape designer Tim Johnson rose to the challenge of restoring the backyard and reflecting pool for a late 19th century home on Summit Ave., while Matt Burton is currently creating a landscape design for a new home in the Crocus Hill neighborhood for the spring Luxury Home Tour.

The home at 807 Summit Ave., built in 1898 by the architect Cass Gilbert, is a great example of how an historic home and its landscaping work together in concert. Restoring the homes gardens and landscaping to the way it may have looked over 100 years ago was not an easy task, requiring Johnson to play history detective as well as creative landscape designer.

Commissioned by Jacob Dittenhofer, a partner in the Golden Rule department store in downtown St. Paul, the home housed Dittenhofers son and 17-year-old bride, who hosted dinner parties with guests like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Constructed of Mankato-Kasota stone, the 9,000 square foot mansion used to loom over a reflecting pool in the backyard, which is documented in photos dating back to 1906.

The reflecting pool was filled in by the monks who lived there after Madeline Dittenhofer donated the home to the Christian Brothers. Since it had been buried beneath soil and sod for decades, restoring the pool wasnt an option. So Johnson and his team set out to recreate the pool.

The pools original walls and steps were still visible, but the original pavers were buried under mounds of dirt. During excavation, Johnson and his team uncovered the old pavers, which enabled them to custom match their color and design. The old photos also helped guide them through a maze of other design decisions for the pool and backyard.

The biggest challenge was staying true to the original backyard while using modern-day materials and taking the current homeowners lifestyle into consideration, Johnson said. A lot of work went into making everything look authentic, he said, adding that the Southview Design team worked closely with the Minnesota Historical Society. Johnsons design incorporated hydrangeas, roses, evergreens and colorful perennials and annuals, which were popular in gardens at that time and remain popular today.

For photos of the historic backyard and reflecting pool, go to: http://southviewdesign.com/newsroom/press/summit-avenue-landscape-restoration.html.

While most homes in St. Pauls historic neighborhoods have been carefully renovated, the area is also witnessing new home construction thats congruent with the areas history and character. Working together with Detail Homes, Southview Design landscape designer Matt Burton is currently designing the landscape for the new construction at 700 Osceola Ave., which will be on the spring Luxury Home Tour, taking place June 5-7, 12-14 and 19-21.

Continue reading here:
Southview Design's Landscape Design for St. Paul Home to be Featured in the June Luxury Home Tour