Historic property tour showcases Duluth’s west side

An annual historic home tour that typically showcases turn-of-the-century mansions anchored in Duluth’s eastern hillside will instead feature small-scale, hidden gems lovingly restored on the west side of town.

The 2025 Duluth Preservation Alliance Historic Properties Tour highlights four private homes and two public buildings during its Sunday, Sept. 21 event called “West Side Story.” Ticket holders will be able to roam each property and take in its history, architecture and restoration work from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Organizers said the annual event, which occasionally has a theme, has never spotlighted western Duluth — the early home to the city’s industrial plants, warehouses and working class neighborhoods.

“It’s easy to celebrate these big mansions on the east side, but there’s a lot of great stories on the west side that, this year, we really wanted to focus on,” said Duluth Preservation Alliance Vice President Blake Romenesko.

In the early 20th century, the west side was economically and culturally different from the east side — which featured wealthy enclaves just a short streetcar ride from downtown. As the working class side of town, the west side attracted a wide range of immigrants who built smaller, more functional homes, Romenesko said.

“The types of building and types of homes that we’re featuring are generally on the smaller side and just have a different story to tell versus our typical big houses that we like to feature,” he said.

This tour won’t include homes with grand staircases, dark billiard rooms and libraries dripping with oak trim. Instead visitors will see humble properties lovingly restored and remodeled for regular use.

“A couple of our homes are still works in progress so people can check out where they are at and compare them with their own projects,” Romenesko said.

Kurt Herke purchased one of those smaller homes shortly after stopping for a garage sale up a steep road on Goat Hill 30 years ago.

“That was a little odd,” he said. “I just went there for the sale, and I’ve always liked really old houses. I asked the lady running the sale: ‘Cute house — what’s happening with it?’ She said: ‘This old shack should be torn down.’ I said: ‘I think it’s really cute.’ She said: ‘Well it’s for sale — cheap.’ So I ended up buying it for $9,000 back in 1995.”

Herke purchased the historic Warren and Alice Cundy house at 2001 W. Eighth St. The one-bedroom place was built in the Folk Victorian style — a working class version of the Queen Anne style house. The property was on the edge of town when it was constructed and still features woods and bedrock in the back yard.

Over the decades, Herke and his husband Steve Kampa have poured a lot of money into its restoration, including a major project launched four years ago.

“It was slowly sinking into the ground. It didn’t have a foundation. It was sitting on rocks and stumps and the crawl space was home to cats and various critters,” he said. “We decided we had to do something.”

A structural engineer was hired to evaluate the situation. “I was at peace if we had to walk away from it,” said Herke. “But the guy said: ‘Not only can you save this but you should save this because they don’t make them like this anymore and this is a piece of Duluth history.’”

The house was lifted off the ground and workers installed a new, modern foundation. The interior was gutted to the studs and hardwood floor. New windows, siding, air-conditioning, electrical, and plumbing were part of the project along with a new front porch overlooking Duluth’s harbor.

“It’s got a lot of character. It’s up on the edge of the woods yet it’s still in the city. It feels like a little pioneer house,” he said. “It’s a great place to live. I love the house, there’s a lot of good vibes to it.”

Herke said it’s important to save old houses — big or small — and he hopes others will be inspired by his project.

“It doesn’t have to be as expensive as we did it,” he said. “People are moving into ‘tiny houses,’ this place is 900-square-feet, so it fits in that size bracket. I think Duluth is full of those cute little houses that can be saved.”

Musician Sara Pajunen purchased and has worked for the past six years to save a larger but similarly neglected property at 31 W. Fifth St. in the Central Hillside. The John A. and Elizabeth Watterworth house was built around 1892.

“As an artist, I am interested in property investment and multi-family properties to stabilize income,” she said. “I come from a family history of bringing new life to old properties. I enjoy working with my hands and materials and saving history.”

In addition to new plumbing and electrical, Pajunen restored the original siding, the 26-plane roof and built out the third floor which has spectacular views over Lake Superior, Canal Park and Wisconsin.

Life circumstances have led Pajunen to the Twin Cities and she is planning to sell the historic home soon. “I wanted to be included in the home tour to show people why it is worth it to save neglected, old houses in Duluth, and to bring closure to an era of my life,” she said. “I am hoping the next owner loves the house as much as I have.”

Two other west-side homes are included in the tour along with the newly restored Alhambra Theatre in West Duluth and the 99-year-old, 2,000-seat Denfeld High School auditorium. Tickets are $32 for adults, $12 for students and free for children under age 5. For more information visit duluthpreservation.org.