194 W Mc Boal St
St Paul, MN 55102, USA

Italianate St Paul Historic Homes

Built between 1877-1880, this Italianate home was chopped into apartments for most of its life until recent owners restored the home to single family. Known as the OBrien-Diederich House, Patrick OBrien and his wife Fannie were the original owners, with the Diederich family taking ownership sometime around 1889. Born in 1841 in Ireland, the OBrien family immigrated to the United States in 1843, and settled in Saint Paul in the 1850s. Eventually, Patrick OBrien worked his way up in the postal service to Assistant Postmaster of Saint Paul, appointed as such in 1875 by Frederick Driscoll (who built 266 Summit Avenue). He had six children with dress maker and wife, Frances (Fannie) Higgins OBrien. The current owners have done a fantastic job resorting the home to look as it might have originally. The detail and porch reconstruction, completed by Authentic Construction, is simply stunning. The Minnesota Historical Society has a photo of the carriage step with the family name Diederich, the second owner of the home, taken in 1936.