Taking A Tour Of "Casa Del Brian" In The Homewood Enclave Of Willard Hay (Part One)

Photo By John Hoff

So before becoming the poster boy for the Minneapolis Advantage Program, before standing next to Mayor Rybak at a press conference about the expansion and continuation of that program, before his house was selected for an upcoming Minneapolis-St.Paul home tour, Brian Reichow made an appearance on this blog. And though he's rich and famous, Brian hasn't forgotten his friends.

No, seriously, Brian isn't doing too bad with his computer consulting business and LADIES!!!!!!! He's SINGLE AND LOOKING!!!!

This weekend, Brian invited me and my son to see his house in the Homewood area of North Minneapolis.

Allegedly.

I say "allegedly" because, well...


...it's hard to call Homewood "North Minneapolis," just like it's hard to call the modern luxury condos next to the Mississippi River part of the classic and affordable Hawthorne Neighborhood. Homewood is a glorious anomaly. Me, Brian and my 11-year-old son Alex drove around looking at mansions, actual MANSIONS.

There was Carl Eller's house...gee, it wasn't what I pictured. I pictured just a regular house in North Minneapolis, where the one-time great football player was living out the second half of his life in mere comfort, not luxury. But it turns out Carl Eller was living at the big house even BEFORE he was living at the "big house." 

Over there was the mansion of Jackie Cherryhomes, sooooo in touch with the common people. Plenty of room to keep files in a house like THAT, no need to leave the files cluttering up the city council offices. 

(These are MY observations. Brian is innocent)

Brian pointed out the residence of the owners of Homewood Studios. Word is the owners of Homewood Studios are very involved with improving their neighborhood.  Right next door to that house was a home with a red neon address number. I've never seen something like that on a house before. Very cool. 

At his house--"Casa Brian"--Brian showed me an image of the original historical brochure which pitched the Homewood neighborhood in around 1910. Homewood was the "gated community" of its day, intended as a place where people of "good breeding" would sleep secure in the knowledge their children were mingling only with others like themselves. (This stuff is explicitly in the historic sales brochure)

Translation: there were restrictive covenants on resale which barred blacks and Jews.

However, there was trouble selling enough of the planned units, and so the developers became enlightened and tolerant. (Sarcasm font is broken, manually notifying the reader) They decided to sell houses to Jews. After that decision, homes sold rapidly and the neighborhood became a Jewish enclave. 

Brian's roomy, gorgeous house was owned by a Jewish plumbing executive named "Harris." In the corners of the dining room there are remnants of the previous owner: two matching hutches for china. Brian said he was told two hutches were necessary: one for high holy days, and one for extraordinarily high holy days. So right away I'm thinking: you mean dishes sat in that hutch that were used ONCE A YEAR? 

Some of these Jewish families were reportedly so devout they would not flip on a light switch on the Sabbath, so Christian children were hired to be in the home and perform such minor tasks. There's a lot more history to tell, even though Brian has just begun to scratch the surface...but it will have to be in my next blog post. 

But here's one notable matter: Homewood is part of the Willard Hay neighborhood, but Homewood has always considered itself a neighborhood unto itself. And, driving through Homewood, it's obvious why. Thus it becomes all the more galling that--many months ago--somebody from Homewood tried to rip me a new orifice because of things I wrote about my firsthand observations of "North Minneapolis."

Because Homewood is NOT North Minneapolis. Homewood is what might be called..."Northern Minneapolis." Brian says there is no trouble in his neighborhood at all, and he feels safe going out running. If trouble comes to the Homewood neighborhood, Brian says, it happens as a result of vehicles that are passing through with criminally-inclined passengers. Of the houses originally built in Homewood during the original development, the vast majority are still standing. 

See? The place is an anomaly, like...the Kingdom of Monaco. 

I showed Brian my North Minneapolis stomping grounds, including the Eco Village area. While driving with Brian, I made a 911 call with Brian's cell phone--my batteries were dead--on a large group of minors hanging out on a street corner, after curfew. In another part of the neighborhood, police swooped down and detained somebody over (as it turned out) no auto insurance and an outstanding warrant. I pointed out a cool bullet hole in a window to Brian who stared and said...nothing. He just stared at it. I waited for the usual reaction from people--trying to trace the path of the bullet through walls, speculating on why the shots were fired but, nope--Brian just stared at the hole.

This was just routine, minor stuff that happens or can be seen, like, constantly...but this isn't what Brian experiences in HIS neighborhood, constantly. 

"The fun never ends!" Brian observed.

Exactly. That's why I'd go insane from boredom in Homewood. I'd be all, like, "Yo, Carl Eller...let's go for a drive, nieghbor!" 

But, then again...in a house as nice as Brian's, I'm guessing I could find ways to keep myself entertained. Did I mention Brian is single and looking? Yes, I think I did. And in my a future post, I'll show details of his luxurious and historical house.

ADDENDUM: Minor fact corrections were made to this blog post.