Historic Minneapolis Fire

The challenge

An electrical fire started in the attic of this 1920s Minneapolis home. The roof was lost and the ceilings below came down with it, leaving soot and water through the rooms underneath — a 1920s house with original detail that had to be rebuilt without looking rebuilt.

Our approach

The roof came first, because nothing inside could be dried or rebuilt until the house was closed in again. From there much of the interior was gutted to the studs. Tile selections and layouts were drawn deliberately to read as period-appropriate rather than as a modern kitchen dropped into an old house.

The results

The house came back with the brightness of its exterior carried inside — light, subtle colors and soft accents throughout. The kitchen and bathrooms took the most careful work, with tile layouts detailed to suit a 1920s home, and the new roof restored the roofline the fire had taken.

Cause of loss: an electrical fire in the attic. Style direction: light, subtle colors with soft, cozy accents.

An attic fire in an older house takes the roof first and then everything under it. The ceilings came down, and what the flames did not reach the soot and water did — which is the usual pattern in a fire and smoke loss and the reason the scope so rarely matches what burned.

Because the house was open to the sky, the roof had to go back before anything else could happen. Nothing inside can be dried, cleaned, or rebuilt while the weather is still coming in.

From there most of the interior was taken to the studs. The harder part of a 1920s house is not the rebuilding but the judgment: a kitchen and bathrooms that are genuinely new have to sit in a house that is a century old without announcing themselves. The tile layouts were drawn with that in mind, and the finished rooms carry the same brightness the exterior always had.

Restoring homes across the city — see our Minneapolis restoration services.

Before & After

Fire-damaged kitchen with charred cabinets, soot-covered counters, and collapsed ceiling material before restoration — Kitchen

The same kitchen rebuilt with white cabinetry, a gas cooktop, wall ovens, and hardwood flooring — Kitchen

Fire-damaged bathroom with a soot-covered tub, radiator, and debris hanging from the opened ceiling — Bathroom

The same bathroom rebuilt with white subway tile, a glass mosaic border, and a hexagon tile floor — Bathroom

Soot-covered pedestal sink and toilet in the powder room after the fire — Powder room

The same powder room rebuilt with grey tile, a glass mosaic band, and a new pedestal sink — Powder room

Historic Minneapolis Fire

The challenge

Our approach

The results

Before & After

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