Photos by Susan Gilmore
When Lilly and Ross Moeding happened upon this century-old gem in St. Louis Park, the couple knew it needed work. But that’s exactly what they wanted—a project. “When we were looking for a home, I wanted something I could put my own stamp on and make my own,” says Ross, homeowner and owner of Minneapolis-based Cabinetry Refined. “It was a good house for us to have, but Lilly was hesitant about the whole idea of tearing a house down to the studs and digging into it. It was a big project.”
With only a few electric lights sprinkled throughout, straw and mortar plastered walls, and horse-hair insulation, the house was a veritable dust magnet. And as it stood, any semblance of functionality was nearly null and void. The existing windows were sealed shut. The kitchen ceiling leaked in not one but multiple places. Several walls were rotten and needed replacement. Air conditioning? Perhaps if we were back in the Roaring ’20s, one might say, “No dice!”
Almost every square inch of the right-sized 2,900-square-foot home required addressing—sans the river rock fireplace, hand-hewn fir beams, their youngest son’s bedroom, and the general layout, which, apart from a small kitchen addition in the 1960s, was to remain largely true to its original form. The exception was one wall between the kitchen and dining room that would be knocked down to open the main floor.
Ultimately, every decision circled back to “preserving the historic character of the building while making it livable for the way a modern family functions,” says Jess Moeding, Ross’ brother and CEO/president of general contractor Xpand Inc. “All you had left was a partial shell, and everything was filled back in to match and create a new vision while still honoring the vision that was there.”
Legacy & Lore
The home’s rich history began with its first owner, Alice Tisdale, who meticulously documented her time there in articles published by The American Home magazine in 1934-35. After nearly 30 years, the Tisdales passed ownership to the notorious Marjorie Congdon and her family, who had a short stint in the home until 1957. The Andersons, from whom the Moedings bought the house, owned it for the next five decades until 2012—making Ross and Lilly the fourth owners. “If old houses could talk, they’d tell some great stories,” Jess says. “You’re curious what had happened in these places over the years.”
That natural curiosity piqued as soon as demolition began. “We would find random things behind the wall panels or in the floor, and there was a rumor somebody left a time capsule in the house,” Ross explains. “I had to have some work done on the fireplace, and there was a cornerstone of the hearth where the mortar was a different color. Since I had the masons there anyway, I had them pull the stone to remortar it, and there was the time capsule.”
The capsule holds poems; myriad journal entries written by Tisdale; documents referencing the house’s original name, “Petit Point;” and more. “There’s even a guest list from 1956 of all the people invited to this dinner party,” Lilly says, referencing the time Congdon lived in the home. “The top two names are Dick and Marge LeRoy [Congdon], who is obviously the infamous co-conspirator of her adopted mother’s murder.” (Not to mention several other whodunnit crimes—from suspected arson to insurance fraud and beyond.)
Timeless Appeal
A preestablished relationship with Kipling House Interiors’ Marita Simmons, principal, and Krysta Gibbons, senior designer, provided the foundation for the interior design, which leans traditional with an edge of eclecticism. “Our goal was to create a storied interior that felt original to the era of the home, [but] with fresh interpretations of historic nods within [its shell], the furnishings, and the fabrics,” says Gibbons, who has designed dozens of kitchens alongside Ross’ team at Cabinetry Refined. “[Ross and Lilly] were keen to find materials not readily available in the Midwest and were willing to push—both from a lead time perspective and a tolerance for imperfection that we also embrace at Kipling House.”
This principle is reflected in the kitchen, where reclaimed French terracotta tiles from 17th- and 18th-century buildings add a European charm reminiscent of cobblestone streets and a cream-colored range with gold knobs seamlessly integrates into the layout. Nearby, an armoire-like cabinet houses the microwave and other countertop clutter, while the walnut-paneled refrigerator is designed to resemble an old ice box—both of which (plus the cabinets, trim, moldings, and built-ins) are courtesy of Ross’ craftsmanship. The result is a collected aesthetic straight from a bygone age.
In the primary bedroom, Ross also designed the recessed faux armoire and wood beams, the latter of which support the attic-turned-playroom. The transformed hangout space acts as a kids’ getaway for the couple’s two boys, Elliot and Everest, and is complete with gaming chairs, a TV, and beds for slumber parties. Meanwhile, the living room—with its creative blend of furnishings, material selections, and storage solutions including a tuckaway desk—is small, yet lives impressively large. “We have fires in the woodburning fireplace in the winter, and sometimes the boys will roast marshmallows, which is fun and super cozy,” Lilly says. “And I love thinking about how someone handcrafted [the beams] almost 100 years ago.”
That history whispers throughout the home each day, thanks to a design team and homeowners who carefully maintained not only its allure but also the items left behind in a little metal box full of secrets and stories. Lilly adds, “When we’re old and gray, or if we win the lottery and move to Italy, we’ll have to chisel the fireplace up and put [the time capsule] back where it was.” (Hopefully not before they tuck their own treasured token inside.)
