The immaculately kept property of the old Ard Godfrey House is a historic site tucked among towering modern condo buildings and shopping complexes on the busy intersection of Central and University.
A little nod to the good old days, the house, which was built in 1849, is the oldest remaining frame residence in Minneapolis. Fully restored and carefully tended by the Women’s Club of Minneapolis, this little gem is filled with furnishings and domestic artifacts from the mid-1800s such as the Godfrey childrens’ walnut cradle and a Chickering rosewood piano. The restoration was begun in 1975 and “over 500 people volunteered over 10,000 hours of labor” to complete the project.
Every weekend during the summer months, costumed guides wearing 1850s garb provide tours of the little homestead, which resides on the edge of the small Chute Square Park.
Check out the house, then settle in for lunch at one of Chute Square's picnic tables. A number of takeout restaurants are within a block of the park and Lunds grocery store is just across the street, so one needn't worry about packing a basket.
