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By Ivan Raconteur
Staff Writer
LESTER PRAIRIE, MN – The house at 618 Central Avenue in Lester Prairie dates back to a time when the city was a bustling little town on the edge of the prairie.
Recently, the house has been renovated to restore some of its original charm. Winsted resident Judy Timo purchased the house in July. Doug Bebo, of Today’s Realty, showed Timo the house and shared his vision for what it could be.
After touring the house, Timo was skeptical. The condition of the house was less than appealing. Much of the interior trim was missing, and improvements started by a previous homeowner had left many of the walls “primed and horrible,” according to Timo.
Bebo was persistent, and Timo purchased the property with the goal of improving and then selling it.
For more than two months, the remodeling project has been underway.
This has generated a lot of interest among neighbors and passers-by.
“People have come up and said, ‘thank you for fixing the house,’” Timo commented. “It has been amazing.”
Her goal has been not so much to restore the house to its original condition, but to add decorative touches to make the house appealing in a way that blends with the style of the house.
“I wanted to bring back some of the original elegance,” Timo said.
Bebo did much of the early renovation, and then Timo, with the help of her daughter, Kristin, and son, Jeremy, took over and have been finishing the project.
The improvements have including replacing trim, repairing plaster, adding a tile floor in the kitchen and a tile shower surround in the bathroom.
The kitchen has been updated with new cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
New lighting fixtures, ceiling medallions, and a bead-board ceiling in the kitchen have added a touch of style to the old house.
Everything in the interior is freshly-painted in bright colors, and the refinished hardwood floors glow.
In the front of the main floor, a room that was originally an office where the early owners of the house may have received visitors to conduct business had been converted to a bedroom. Timo has restored the room to its original purpose, although there is no longer a separate entrance off of the enclosed porch as there was when the house was built. That door was sealed off during a renovation earlier in the home’s history.
Much work has also been done on the exterior of the structure, including new paint, siding, shutters, and much caulking and sealing to make the home more weather-tight.
A new porch has been added on the south side of the structure, and the picket fence that surrounds the yard has received a coat of fresh white paint.
Kristin, who has put in many hours of work on the project, said her favorite room is the dining room, which she described as “a happy room” that makes a person feel good when one is in it.
She likes the sunny yellow color and the feel of the room, with its high ceiling and tall window that lets in plenty of natural light in the morning.
She also likes the master bedroom, with its stained glass windows.
Among the surprises she has found while working on the project is a copy of the Saturday Evening Post dated 1917.
According to the book, “Lester Prairie Community 1886-1986,” researched and written by Barbara and Milan Dammann, the house was built in 1897 by William F. Volkenant, an early settler in Lester Prairie, and one of the town’s prominent businessmen at the time.
There is a reference to the house on page 540 of the book, “Lester Prairie Community 1886-1986.”
The book states, “Later on he (William Volkenant) built a beautiful two and one-half story brick and wood house on a large corner lot (6 lots) in a nice section of town. Grandpa Bartz did the brick work as he was an expert brick mason in Germany and did the same kind of work after moving to Minneapolis.”
On page 541, the narrative states that the family always had a maid and a first-floor bedroom for her use.
The small bedroom is located just off the dining room.
The house has undergone many changes over the years, but Judy hopes that the most recent changes will bring back some of the historic home’s special character.
She still plans to put the house on the market soon, once the project is complete, but she seemed to waver when talking about this, and indicated that she might want to live there herself.
“I am starting to fall in love with the house,” Judy said.
618 Central Avenue history of ownership
The following history of ownership was provided by Linda Johnson, who was one of the owners of the house from 1993 to 2003.
• 1895 George W. Small (Mary I.) land owner
• 1897 William F. Volkenant (Anna V.) built the house. He was one of the pioneers of Lester Prairie. a store owner, inventor of fence machine, and avid bird lover who maintained a bird sanctuary on Sugar Lake
• 1908 William C. Beise (Ida Volkenant) purchased the house when the Volkenants moved to St. Paul. He operated a sawmill company with William Volkenant and later started his own Beise Implement Company, which was operated by his son, Clifford, until 1966. He was very active in the development of Lester Prairie, as councilman for 16 years, mayor one year, fire chief for 14 years, member of the park and cemetery board for nine years, and director of State Bank of Lester Prairie and stockholder in the Community Investors’ Company of St. Paul and Lester Prairie.
• 1939 Ida Beise (widowed) and Alta Heneman (daughter), Clyde W. Beise (son) were added to the deed
• Clyde (grandson of William C. Beise) maintained implement business. Clyde was a member of the school board, Jaycees, Lions Club, volunteer fireman, and Minnesota Implement Dealers Association.
• 1944 Herbert G. Heneman (Alta’s husband), Herbert G. Heneman, Jr. (son) and Betty H. Cook (daughter) were added to the deed
• 1946 E. P. Hoskins (Cora Katheryn)
• 1952 Eugene D. McKeever (Delores S.)
1958 William E. Berry (Phyllis M.)
• 1974 CD to Debbie Lindeman
• 1981-86 CD to Stanley Edward Maas
• 1987-93 CD to Philip & Renee (Barber) Poppenhagen
• 1993 Phyllis M. Berry (widow)
• 1993 Dwight & Linda Johnson
• 2004 Mindy (Odenthal)
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