Historic Foley Mansion in St. Cloud Reopens After Restoration Effort, Now Available for Tours and Events

(KNSI) – Like the legendary phoenix, a piece of St. Cloud history has risen from the ashes.

After years of painstaking renovation, the Foley Mansion is now available for the public to rent and see. The Richardson-style Victorian-era home was built in 1889 by lumber baron Timothy Foley. It fell into disrepair after a devastating fire in 2004. Local historians say what the flames didn’t consume or scar was stolen. The Highbanks neighborhood home became an eyesore and a hangout for squatters.

In 2019, a developer wanted to turn the historic structure into campus housing for St. Cloud State University students. That’s when Carmen and Allen Arvig learned about the property and couldn’t bear to let its historic significance be lost. Shortly after that, Carmen told KNSI News she began making it her mission to resurrect the place and share it with the world. “I think a home like this should be shared with the public. To educate the public about the Victorian era. To have a place that isn’t cookie cutter, and hopefully, they can just have fun with the house.”

Jake Judd KNSI News

From 90 to 95% of the home has been restored to its former glory. Carmen found people to remake much of the fixtures, woodwork, and glass by hand, just as it would have been done in the late 19th century. Carmen says other parts of the home were recovered, like four stained glass windows, which turned out to be an Antiques Road Show moment when they sent them to the Twin Cities to be restored. “The gentleman asked us, ‘Do you know what you have?’ And we said, yeah, we have some old stained glass windows. And he said, No, you have John La Farge windows. And he said they are extremely valuable windows. And we found out that the four windows collectively are worth a little over half a million dollars.”

La Farge’s stained glass can be found inside the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

Jake Judd KNSI News

The nearly five years of renovation were recently recognized by the St. Cloud City Council when they presented the Arvigs with the 2024 Heritage Preservation Award.

Tours will start later this month. The home is available to rent for bachelor and bachelorette parties, weddings, family reunions, or any other event meant to be memorable.

The home has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978 as the Foley-Brower-Bohmer House. It was transferred to Timothy’s brother Thomas Foley in 1895 and bought by lawyer and politician Ripley B. Brower in 1902. The home was sold again to businessman and banker William J. Bohmer in 1923.

Be one of the first to book a tour or an event by clicking here.

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