506 Old Territorial Rd
Monticello, MN 55362, USA

Rand House

he Rand House, nicknamed "Random", is a historic house in Monticello, Minnesota, United States, constructed in 1884 and now operating as a bed and breakfast. It was the centerpiece of a summer estate owned by Minneapolis businessman Rufus Rand, Sr., and his wife Susan Mealey. The Rand House and a nearby building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as the Rufus Rand Summer House and Carriage Barn for having local significance in the themes of architecture, commerce, and entertainment/recreation.[4] They were nominated for being representative of the late-19th-century country estates built by Twin Cities businessmen, their Queen Anne architecture, and association with Rand, a prominent utility executive.

The Rand House is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame building with 30 rooms. It stands on a hill southeast of downtown Monticello. Queen Anne architectural features include a polygonal corner tower, wraparound porches, patterned shingles on the gables, irregular plan, and multi-gabled roof. Built as a summer home, the house had open porches and large windows. Exterior window shutters were affixed to help seal the house up over the winter. The carriage barn is a 1+1⁄2-story frame building south of the main house. In 1952 it was converted to a single-family home under separate ownership. The estate grounds once featured an arboretum, swimming pool, windmill, and flower gardens, all ringed by a lilac hedge. Only traces of the gardens and walls remain.

Rufus Rand was the vice-president of the Minneapolis Gas Light Company in 1884 when he married Susan Mealey, daughter of state senator Tobias Mealey. As a gift the bride's parents gave a prominent hilltop property near their own house on the outskirts of Monticello, and Rand invited his new wife to design a summer home for them as her wedding gift. As railway connections to the countryside around Minneapolis–Saint Paul emerged, it had become common for wealthy businessmen from the cities to construct rural estates for summer getaways.

Rand ultimately became president of the Gas Light Company and died in 1921. The house remained in the Rand family for over 60 years. During World War II the U.S. Army Air Corps was training glider pilots in Monticello, and the Rand family loaned them the property for officers' quarters. The house was later converted for use as a nursing home, then a funeral home. In 1986 it was acquired by Duffy and Merrill Busch, who renovated the property and began operating it as a bed and breakfast.

National Register of Historic Places: Rufus Rand Summer House and Carriage Barn

The Rufus Rand Summer House is situated on a prominent wooded knoll southeast of the central business district of Monticello, Minnesota. It is a rambling two-and-one-half-story frame building executed in the Queen Anne style. Evident design features of this style include a polygonal corner tower, wrap-around porches, flared chimneys, brackets, patterned shingles in gable areas, and an irregular plan, accented by a multi-gabled roof. Original cedar shingles remain on the roof.

The Rand House was originally intended to be used as a summer house. Consequently, the house was closed for the winter and is equipped with operational exterior shutters. Through the years, alterations have been made to the house. These include a partial stuccoing of the exterior, addition, and enclosure of porches, and conversion of the interior to a funeral parlor and later a rooming/care facility. The house is now in a deteriorated to fair condition. The only ancillary building to survive is a square, wood frame, one-and-a-half-story carriage barn located at the rear of the main dwelling. The barn was stucco and converted into a year-round residence in 1952. A one story, cement block garage was built in 1967 just northeast of the barn. The swimming pool, pool house, and windmill no longer remain. Remnants of the formal gardens, shrubbery, and fieldstone walls, however, do.

The Rufus Rand Summer House and Carriage Barn in Monticello is an example of the Queen Anne style of architecture and is representative of the large country estates built prior to the turn of the century by Twin Cities businessmen. The summer homes were built as the rural areas of the county became accessible by railroad transportation.

The summer house was built by Rufus Rand, Sr., in 1884, as a wedding present to his bride, Susan Mealy. The thirty-room, wood frame structure was designed by Susan in the then popular Queen Anne style. Its large windows and wrap-around porch emphasize the fact that the house was used only in the summer months. The house is located on a prominent hill overlooking the town of Monticello.

Rufus Rand, Sr., was Vice-president of the Minneapolis Gas Light Company at the time he had the house constructed. Rand, a prominent Twin Cities businessman, eventually became president of the family-owned company and managed it successfully until his death in 1921. The house was used as a summer home by the Rand family for sixty-one years. It was also used as an officer quarter during World War II, a nursing home, and a funeral home. For a portion of its existence, it has stood vacant. The house is currently being used as a single-family residence. The current owner of the summer house intends to restore the home to its former integrity. Its original architectural lines, basic floor plan, and interior space survive intact. The carriage barn was converted in 1952 to a single-family dwelling. The property is now owned separately from the original estate.