A 19th-century historic house finds a new use in the 21st century through new ownership.

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CHALLENGE

In 1979, Olmsted County acquired the historic Adolph Biermann House along with 73 acres of parkland known as the “Maywood Corridor.” State and Federal funds (Land and Water Conservation Funds, or LWCF) were used to assist with the purchase of the land, which was acquired to create a 200-acre park; the Adolph Biermann House was intended to serve as the park caretaker’s house. However, plans never materialized, and an appropriate outdoor recreation use had not been found for the Adolph Biermann House. In order to promote the ongoing use and restoration of the historic house, the County sought to transfer the property to private ownership, which required navigation of both federal and state regulations.

SUCCESS

New History acted as an advisor to the County to manage the transfer process. Our scope included completion of the multi-step transfer process, including evaluation of alternatives, identification of replacement lands, and completion of the conversion requests. New History worked with multiple agencies, including Olmsted County, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the National Park Service (NPS) to successfully complete the conversion request. The property will be renovated and restored by the new private owner.