This Urban Castle’s Magical Design Will Have You Spellbound By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team
By Joe Szabo, Scottsdale Real Estate Team An urban castle in downtown Minneapolis has the Muggle world intrigued. “It’s kind of gone viral nationally — even as far as London — with references to it being the ‘Harry Potter House,’” says Coldwell Banker Burnet’s Jeffrey Dewing, the listing agent for the 4,547-square-foot home. Just steps across the light rail line from the US Bank stadium, this ivy-walled property is the only single-family home within a 12-block radius. It’s in walking distance of restaurants, shopping, and great city parks. But central location is only the beginning of its charm.
Built in 1911, this property has a long, storied history. “At the turn of the century it was a blacksmith shop,” notes Dewing.
“After that, it was used for a few different commercial uses,” he continues. “One of those was an electric company called Flash.” On one of the building’s outer walls, you can just make out a decades-old painted advertisement from when the building was home to Flash Electric Company.
In the early 1980s, Sage and John Cowle converted the building into a residential and dance studio space, at the beginning of the revitalization of the Mississippi River waterfront in downtown. The Cowle family sold the building in 2002 to musician and restaurateur Jeff Arundel, whose extensive renovations have given it today’s whimsical castle look.
“It’s one of those houses that every time you go to it you notice some new and unique detail,” Dewing says.
Some of the enchanting fixtures include an elaborate central wrought-iron staircase, stained-glass inset arches, a flagstone foyer, and rustic fireplaces in the living room and master bedroom. “Paul Tierney, who’s local in Minneapolis, made all of the metal work by hand,” says Dewing.
Every detail show’s an artist’s personal touch: Several carved faces peep out from the home’s intricate fixtures. A wooden face beams down from the staircase, and a metal face and hands point out from a downspout on the roof. An iron dragon sculpture keeps watch from the turret-topped entrance gate, as if waiting for a secret password.
“One of the things that’s wonderful about the property is all the outdoor space,” says Dewing. Inside the cobblestone courtyard, a large mature tree shades the plantings below, and a porch juts out from the building to make space for a sitting area.
The building’s roof deck affords great views of sunsets and the skyline. There’s ample room for patio furniture — possibly even an owlery.
A window-lined first-floor hallway connects the house to a two-car garage. The kitchen boasts custom cabinets, and an island with bar-height counter, for mixing the most elaborate potions with ease.
The master bathroom’s deep green tilework serves as the perfect backdrop for a relaxing shower, or puzzling out a mysterious cipher.
Though it has served for years as a residence, this property also has great commercial potential, for the enterprising witch or wizard.
Earlier this year, the property had been in talks to be purchased and made a brewery and taphouse.
Even in current showings, the interest has been almost an even split between residential, mixed use, and commercial. “People have looked at it as a restaurant space, a wine bar, and a commercial office space,” says Dewing.
This incredible urban castle is just waiting for the right people to harness its magic.
Please note that this Scottsdale Real Estate Blog is for informational purposes and not intended to take the place of a licensed Scottsdale Real Estate Agent. The Szabo Group offers first class real estate services to clients in the Scottsdale Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the buying and selling of Luxury homes in Arizona. Award winning Realtors and Re/MAX top producers and best real estate agent for Luxury Homes in Scottsdale, The Szabo group delivers experience, knowledge, dedication and proven results. Contact Joe Szabo at 480.688.2020, info@ScottsdaleRealEstateTeam.com or visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com to find out more about Scottsdale Homes for Sale and Estates for Sale in Scottsdale and to search the Scottsdale MLS for Scottsdale Home Listings.
On the other hand, if you want to play up the small-space vibe even more, go bold with dark colors. You can emphasize the smallness of a room by making a cozy, den-like atmosphere with colors like black, dark gray and navy.
Whether you decide to go light or dark, adding paint to your small space will help you get the effect you’re going for, both quickly and affordably.
“We both lived in many compact-sized homes over the years, but they weren’t as well laid out as they could have been,” says Shumaker. “We knew with simple tweaks in the design, we could make small-space living function well for both of us.”
The couple worked together to design a home that catered to their specific needs — for example, an integrated dog door leading to the bedroom.
Built-in storage lines the outside of the house, providing ample space for outdoor equipment and bicycles, and generously sized windows wash every last inch of the home in natural light.
All that sunshine did end up including one slightly unpleasant and unforeseen aspect, however.
“We opted to put a window in our shower enclosure for more light [and] air movement,” Shumaker says, “but water accumulates on the ledge and if we had to do it over again, we would probably avoid putting a window in that location.”
You live, you build a custom compact home with your spouse, you learn. That’s how that saying goes, right?
“We’re interested in living simply, economically, and sustainably, so living in a small, well-designed space fit our lifestyle,” Shumaker explains. “My partner and I love our new house. Functionally, it works great for both of us as there’s equal closet storage, it’s easy to clean, and compact yet has enough storage. Neither of us feels like we’ve had to make any compromises in our ability to live comfortably together.”
And something that helps to maintain that comfort? The classic “less is more” approach, according to Shumaker.
“We’ve found paring down is always the best policy, and we continue to be diligent regarding what comes in the house,” she says. “While we were previously living together in a smaller space, we still found ourselves going through round after round of purging before we moved into the new house.
“Fortunately, this enabled us to be thoughtful with what we introduced into our home, and now we’re happy to not have to worry about any additional clutter beyond what we use most frequently.”
Ask any aspiring home designer what romance looks like, and visions of tidying guru Marie Kondo and custom closet spaces would probably dance through their heads. If fairy tales were modernized, minimalism and clean design would surely be part of every couple’s happily-ever-after.
But in our real world of endless dream house Pinterest boards and wistful home design shows, the Shumaker-Mooney family doesn’t take their labor of love lightly.
“We feel lucky to have been able to see this through,” Shumaker says. “We love how the process of designing and building this home brought us closer together as a couple, [and] being able to enjoy the space we put so much heart into is the icing on the cake.”
An arrangement with a dramatic yucca surrounded by blooming portulaca and colorful sedum is low maintenance and high impact.
You can also add peat moss or coir to your potting mix before planting to help the container retain moisture. Whatever you do, though, choose a container with a drainage hole so the water can escape without stagnating and rotting your plants.
Allow the stain to cure for at least 24 hours. Once dry, apply a layer of water-based clear sealant to protect the wood from the elements.
Now it’s time to enjoy your vertical garden and its bounty.
As plants outgrow their space, 
We then tucked the wires neatly into the ceiling and screwed the canopy’s base into place.
Removing the old fan left us with a bit of damage on the ceiling. A simple patch and paint will make your ceiling look like new, and your updated fan will fit in seamlessly with your 
If you can change a light fixture, you can easily change a ceiling fan. All it takes is a free afternoon and a patient helper to get the job done!
