The Rand House, nicknamed "Random", is a historic house in

Monticello, Minnesota Monticello ( ) is a city next to the Mississippi River in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,455 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. ...

, United States, constructed in 1884 and operated as a

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

from the mid-1990s until 2020. The house is now a private residence. It was the centerpiece of a summer estate owned by

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

businessman Rufus Rand, Sr., and his wife Susan Mealey. The Rand House and a nearby building were listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979 as the Rufus Rand Summer House and Carriage Barn for having local significance in the themes of architecture, commerce, and entertainment/recreation. They were nominated for being representative of the late-19th-century country estates built by Twin Cities businessmen, their

Queen Anne architecture The Queen Anne style of British architecture refers to either the English Baroque architecture of the time of Queen Anne (who reigned from 1702 to 1714) or the British Queen Anne Revival form that became popular during the last quarter of th ...

, and association with Rand, a prominent utility executive.

Description

The Rand House is a -story wood-

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

building with 30 rooms. It stands on a hill southeast of downtown Monticello. Queen Anne architectural features include a polygonal corner tower, wraparound porches, patterned shingles on the

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s, irregular plan, and multi-gabled roof. Built as a

summer home A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed t ...

, the house had open porches and large windows. Exterior

window shutter A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails (top, centre and bottom). Set within this frame can be louvers (both operable or fixed, horizontal or vertical), solid ...

s were affixed to help seal the house up over the winter. The carriage barn is a -story frame building south of the main house. In 1952 it was converted to a single-family home under separate ownership. The estate grounds once featured an

arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

, swimming pool, windmill, and flower gardens, all ringed by a lilac

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced (3 feet or closer) shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate ...

. Only traces of the gardens and walls remain.

History

Rufus Rand was the vice-president of the Minneapolis Gas Light Company in 1884 when he married Susan Mealey, daughter of state senator

Tobias Mealey Tobias Gilmore "T.G." Mealey (August 5, 1823 – April 27, 1904) was a Canadian-born American entrepreneur, politician, and early settler of Minnesota. He grew up in New Brunswick, made his fortune in the California Gold Rush, and became an influ ...

. As a gift the bride's parents gave a prominent hilltop property near their own house on the outskirts of Monticello, and Rand invited his new wife to design a summer home for them as her wedding gift. As railway connections to the countryside around

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...

emerged, it had become common for wealthy businessmen from the cities to construct rural estates for summer getaways. Rand ultimately became president of the Gas Light Company and died in 1921. The house remained in the Rand family for over 60 years. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

was training glider pilots in Monticello, and the Rand family loaned them the property for officers' quarters. The house was later converted for use as a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

, then a

funeral home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary is a business that provides burial, entombment and cremation services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared visitation and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for t ...

. In 1986 it was acquired by Duffy and Merrill Busch, who renovated the property and began operating it as a bed and breakfast.

References

External links

The Rand House
{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1884 establishments in Minnesota Bed and breakfasts in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Wright County, Minnesota Houses completed in 1884 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Queen Anne architecture in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Wright County, Minnesota

Description

History

See also

References

External links