ENR 2024 Midwest Best Projects
Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: American Swedish Turnblad Mansion
Photo by Andrea Rugg/Andrea Rugg Photography
American Swedish Institute Turnblad Mansion and Carriage House Restoration
Minneapolis
Award of Merit
Submitted by: JE Dunn Construction
Owner: American Swedish Institute
Lead Design Firm: HGA Architects and Engineers
General Contractor: JE Dunn Construction
Subcontractors: Advance Terrazzo and Tile Co.; All City Elevator Inc.; American Masonry Inc.; Architectural Sales of Minnesota Inc.; Bauer Industries LLC dba Bauer Metal; Boe Ornamental Iron Inc.; Carl Bolander & Sons LLC
The Turnblad Mansion was donated to the public as a place to preserve Swedish customs and culture in 1929. The mansion’s $12.8-million restoration upgraded building systems and completely restored the building’s original masonry.
Due to steep roofs and difficult access points, restoring the roof and exterior skin required different strategies to minimize impacts to the ground footprint. To properly restore the facilities, the team used construction techniques from the 1900s such as hand-carving stone, using custom made jointing tools to recreate the masonry joints, reworking operable windows with original lead weights and replacement ropes and using custom brass flashing to seal the windows.
During elevator construction, crews discovered that the existing footings were shallower than anticipated and the soil was dry. The team properly underpined the existing foundation, and the elevator was installed into a new shaft that meets code requirements.
A burst steam pipe caused water to accumulate in the basement. Although it was unrelated to the project scope, JE Dunn helped clean and repair the damage and performed work to protect the client from such events.
