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Willey House
Prospect Park Neighborhood, Minneapolis
NOTE - This page is in no way affiliated with the owners of this property. This is a FAN site.
My thanks to Stafford Norris, whose family now owns this house, for allowing me to tour and photograph the property.
On the day I happened to drive by, he was airing out the building in preparation for restoration after six years of
near-abandonment by a previous owner. Utilities had just been restored before I arrived. Mr. Norris was a very
gracious host, and allowed me close to an hour of exploring, photography and discussion.
You may note that this page does not include the street address for this property. This is intentional, and is only
to discourage visiting the house. Mr. Norris explained that I was the fourth person to stop by on this particular
day, and it was only about 1:00 PM. He said he hopes to open the property to the public at some point, but may also
consider residing in the home. A primary determining factor would be the amount of foot traffic, which could make it
impossible to live there peacefully.
Out of respect for his family, and until his decision about the property has been made, I will not include
directions on how to find this property. If you choose to locate the house, please understand that this is private
property, and respect his privacy and that of his neighbors.
Video Clips
Photo #1 - A snowy April look at the house as viewed from the street.
Photo #2 - The front stairway from the street.
Photo #3 - The former view of the Mississippi River is now blocked by a freeway sound wall.
Photo #4 - Without trespassing, this is the only view you can get of the front of the house.
Photo #5 - These exterior steps lead to the garage.
Photo #6 - The main entry to the house is a series of glass doors.
Photo #7 - Front of the house.
Photo #8 - View of the landscaping and sound wall beyond from the bedroom patio door.
Photo #9 - Corner window into the master bedroom.
Photo #10 - The patio does not have nearly the number of steps envisioned on the site plan.
Photo #11 - Built-in bookcases run the length of the main hallway.
Photo #12 - These beautiful chairs were designed by Wright specifically for this house. They are original.
Photo #13 - This mirror is mounted in the master bedroom. I could not verify whether it is original to the house.
Photo #14 - The bathroom fixtures are all original. This room has never been renovated or restored.
Photo #15 - Reverse view of the hallway shows the unique lighting fixtures.
Photo #16 - The living room.
Photo #17 - Fireplace complete with original iron work.
Photo #18 - The kitchen was completely renovated at some point. Nothing, other than the window, is original.
Photo #19 - This built-in furniture and woodwork is all original.
Photo #20 - The side entry, which may have been intended as the front door.
Photo #21 - Woodwork and one of the two amazing living room windows.
Photo #22 - Fireplace and the other matching window.
Photo #23 - The kitchen window as viewed from the outside.
Photo #24 - The rear of the garage stairs, which also lead down to a basement.
Photo #25 - The privacy wall hides the alley and blocks views of the front from this side.
Photo #26 - The ceiling details in the master bedroom match those in the other rooms.
Photo #27 - View through the master bedroom patio door.
Photos #28 and #29 - Planters to either side of the patio entry were designed for growing trees.
Photo #30 - The site plan appears to have been altered to accommodate a tree which was already growing there. In this photo you can also see that all rooms in the house (except bathroom and kitchen) have doorways to the patio.
Believe it or not, this is the house as viewed from the bottom of the hill on which it was built. Quite a shame.
April/May 2002
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