In Plain Sight | University Grove

It’s the New Canaan of Minnesota. With thinly wooded lots, gently rolling hills, and the prevalence of its midcentury modernist homes, University Grove near the UMN-St. Paul campus appears to be the past playground for our own Harvard 5. Local architects with names like Rapson, Close, Lundie, Cerny, and Hammel all have designs here.

Originally the idea of UMN Vice President, William Middlebrook, the Grove consists of more than 100 unique homes built for professors and administrators. All of the houses were required to be designed by an architect, no single home could exceed a preset maximum cost, and ownership of the land is extended in the form of long term leases by the UMN.