218 Bushaway Rd
Wayzata, MN 55391, USA

218 Bushaway Road, Wayzata, MN, USA

Excerpt from the History of Bushway Road and Its Neighborhood (1858-2009) by Irene Stemmer, of the Wayzata Heritage Preservation Board (HPB) as a means of preserving the history of the Bushaway Road and its neighborhood.

1906: The Dodge Farm (Leeward) – 218 Bushaway Rd.
The original house and farm buildings (the red house, barn and chicken coop) were built in 1906. The Decker children recall living in the farmhouse called “Leeward” while their house was being constructed in 1912. The next owners, the Dodges lived in the Leeward farm house while their house, “Windward,” on the northeast corner of Highway 12 (Wayzata Boulevard) was being constructed. The farm was owned by Edwin “Ned” Dodge and his wife Anne Winton Dodge from 1939 to 1959.

The Walter Albers family rented Leeward during World War II. That was the last time it was a working farm with sheep, cows and chickens. The Albers family was followed by Dr. Nate Plimpton and family from 1947 to 1954. The Plimptons remember a windmill between the house and the barn. The Plimpton kids also remember jumping out the second story hayloft door into piles of hay below!

In 1959, the old farmhouse, barn and chicken coop were sub-divided from the Dodge acreage. Dick and Jane Noland, who were renting it at the time, purchased the small parcel and lived there a total of 34 years. Jane Noland says “they probably lived there longer than any other family including the original dwellers whoever they were!” The Nolands added a sizeable addition in keeping with the original flavor of the house in 1963 which was thoughtfully designed by Architect Karl Humphrey and built by Joe Boyer. With the expansion, the house was painted barn red as it remains to this day. The Nolands borrowed the Dodges’ field next door and kept horses for friends, at one time pasturing as many as ten horses.

The Nolands sold the property to Architect Dan Avchen in 1989. He designed another addition for the east end of the house and brought balance to the whole house. They also completely remodeled the interior and turned the large chicken coop into a studio. Avchen also added the lap pool on the southeast lawn.

The present owners purchased the house in 2002. They added their own touches by converting the barn into an entertainment building for family and friends. Each addition has been created to add to the barn style architecture by knowledgeable residents. They also 37 added a deck and landscaping that turned the once “scraggly farmyard” into a well-manicured lawn.