Document - Historical information/data - Fred and Elsie Heuer Farm House and out building - 7/6/2007100 FRAILy
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3980 Lexington Avenue South • Lot 9, Block 1, Lexington Parkview Addition
Proposed Garage Building Replacement
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• Project Summary
The Site
Located on Lexington Avenue (Lot 9, Block 1,
Lexington Parkview Addition) the site is bor-
dered primarily by other (R-1) single-family resi-
dential homes Directly West of the property is:
Eagan Art House, Patrick Eagan Park and Advent
United Methodist Church. East of the property,
beyond the immediate residential homes resides
the City of Eagan activity fields.
Site History
The site of this proposed project is on one of
Eagan's oldest Farm Homestead's dating back
to the mid 1800's. The original house on the
property was replaced in 1938 by Fred & Elsie
Heuer and had the distinction of being one of
the first homes in Eagan with indoor plumbing.
The original barn on the property was demol-
ished in 1984 prior to its sale in 1985.
We (Mark and Dawn Simpson) purchased the
property in January of 1985. Avid antique car
collectors we were drawn to the estate to
ensure we would have the room to pursue our
shared passion in vintage automobiles and not
infringe upon our neighbors. Plans began imme-
diately to build a suitable storage structure for
our vintage cars that had been stashed in vari-
ous outbuildings that once dotted the property.
In 1987 the property was subdivided, splitting
off the three lots directly East of the property,
and sold to pay mounting assessments for
sewer, water and street improvements.
Project History
Originally plans were submitted to the city to
build both a garage to house our collector cars as
well as a garage for our daily drivers and snow
plow vehicle in mid -summer of 1988. We expressed
to city staff at the time, our uncertainty on whether
we could complete both garages before the snow
flew, and our reluctance to tear down the old
garage until the new one was erected. We were
encouraged by staff to take out the building permit
on the one and come back for the other once we
were ready to start the second garage.
Construction delays and cost overruns delayed
the completion of the first garage until the spring
of 1989 and depleted much of the funds we had
set aside for both these projects. After raising two
children and surviving through college tuition,
plans were once again put into motion, to build
the garage that would house our daily drivers and
free us from shoveling snow off the cars and
questionable cold weather starts. Only now we
have discovered the city has changed its require-
ments, limiting the size and number of accessory
buildings allowed. Of course this negated the
entire reason we purchased the property to begin
with, and our ability to enjoy our pastime.
The older garage has suffered from some
deferred maintenance, due to our plans to simply
replace the building. We are now faced with two
clear choices: Renovate the existing structure to
make it more usable for daily drivers or Request a
variance to remove the old garage and replace it
with a new structure, built to current building
codes in a style that would complement the house
and other garage as well as incorporating a main-
tenance free exterior.
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3980 Lexington Avenue South • Lot 9, Block 1, Lexington Parkview Addition
Proposed Garage Building Replacement
• Other Buildings on Property
Collector Car Garage
Built in 1988 to house our
collection of antique cars.
It is currently home to a:
1931 DeSoto, 1935
Chevrolet, 1936 Chevrolet
and a 1954 Ford.
House
Built in 1938 replac-
ing the original house
on the property that
was built in the mid
1800's. The original
house was torn down
primarily due to a
lack of insulation,
forcing everyone to
sleep around the par-
lor stove during the
winter months.
Grainery Building
Perhaps one of the oldest buildings in
the city. Built in the 1870's and used
primarily as a grain storage building,
it has the distinction of being used as
the Heuer family home in 1938 during
construction of the current house.
With a solid roof and foundation,
plans are to restore this building to
original condition.
3980 Lexington Avenue South • Lot 9, Block 1, Lexington Parkview Addition
Proposed Garage Building Replacement
• Front Elevation
)(listing Structure
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