Macalester-Groveland

Macalester-Groveland, the neighborhood Saint Paul residents simply call Mac-Groveland, is a dense, walkable district of early-1900s homes around the colleges between Summit and the river. Its tight lots and deep stock of pre-war houses make local experience essential.

The homes here are largely from the first decades of the twentieth century: bungalows, four-squares, and side-by-side duplexes on narrow city lots. Foundations are worth reading for long-settled cracking and moisture, and the wiring history often spans several eras within a single house. Duplexes and student rentals are common in this part of the city, and converted or divided homes deserve a careful look at how the work was done. The structural and moisture clues at additions and conversions are worth documenting, along with the condition of shared and unit mechanicals. Close lots mean grading and downspout discharge matter even more, since there is little room to move water away from a foundation. Drainage, basement moisture, and sump reliability are worth checking, as are roofs and attics for the ice-dam conditions Minnesota winters bring.