Tim Walz’s Governor’s Mansion Is a 112-Year-Old Tudor (With Tons of History!)
The Democratic National Convention kicked off in Chicago on August 19 with celebrity sightings, performances, and speeches from Democratic heavyweights like former president and first lady Barack and Michelle Obama, and President Joe Biden. Democratic presidential nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris also made an appearance at the DNC alongside her running mate Tim Walz, giving viewers a closer look at the recently-announced vice presidential nominee, and begging us to ask the deep questions, like: Where does Tim Walz live?
Voters have been busy digging up Walz’s policies, past voting record, and progressive platforms since Harris announced Walz as her running mate on August 6. Since Walz is a relative newcomer to the race, people are still getting to know the politician and his Minnesota roots.
While we know where Walz will live if the Harris/Walz ticket wins the election, Walz doesn’t actually own any real estate, like, at all.
Walz currently lives in Minnesota Governor’s mansion, the official home of governor and their family in Minnesota. (Every Governor lives here during their term.)
The Minnesota Governor’s mansion is located at 1006 Summit Avenue, an iconic stretch of real estate in St. Paul, Minnesota. And luckily for the nosy folks, it’s not that hard to get a peek inside the mansion, because there are photos of it — and a virtual tour — on the Minnesota.gov website.
The Minnesota Governor’s Residence was originally built in 1912 as the family home of Horace Hills Irvine.
In 1965, his two youngest daughters, Clotilde Irvine Moles and Olivia Irvine Dodge, donated it to the state to be used as the governor’s official home, according to the state’s website. The grandeur of the home was intended to give the governor in residence “a little dignity, pomp if you will,” according to Senator Gordon Rosenmeier, and 1006 Summit Avenue delivers on all fronts with Art Nouveau and Tudor architectural details throughout.
Sitting on almost two acres, the Tudor-style property is also used for hosting official engagements, although seating can be tight in some of the rooms.
The home welcomes guests in with a grand foyer and a honeycomb design on the ceiling, original furniture, and an intricate wrought iron design on the door. The formal drawing room, which features a green marble fireplace centerpiece adorned with a Tudor arch and carved Tudor rose motif, is where the governor takes important meetings or holds formal events, while a smaller dining room is used for dinner parties of up to 16 to 18 guests.
If there are larger groups, the building can host up to 75 guests with the addition of the Solarium and the Drawing room, while the lawn and terrace can accommodate up to 150 people.
Eleanor Roosevelt has visited the Solarium.
There’s also a renovated kitchen (although there are no photos or tours available due to health department codes), a cozy library that some governors have used as a home office, and a Solarium. Responsible for bringing most of the natural light to the main floor, the Solarium also has five French doors that look out onto the property’s manicured gardens and terrace. The room, which was famously the meeting place of Eleanor Roosevelt and Olivia Dodge, is now used for public events or larger gatherings.
The manicured gardens include a fountain, a flower garden, a children’s garden, and two kitchen gardens that were added in 2011 where produce like heirloom tomatoes are grown. There’s also a yard, where some of the former governors’ families played croquet, rode their bikes, and even raised goats.
Tim Walz and his family have added substantial renovations to the home, reportedly spending almost $13 million adding new electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and security upgrades to get it up to code. While the building was getting renovated, the Walz family lived in a mansion where some presidents of the University of Minnesota resided during their tenures.
Compared to many other politicians, Walz is unique in not owning his own personal home. Former and current candidates, like the Obamas and Presidential nominee Harris herself have significant real estate portfolios, but Walz revealed in a recent financial disclosure that in addition to his lack of real estate, he also doesn’t own any stocks or bonds.
Walz — who previously worked as a high school teacher and a member of congress — did previously own a four-bedroom home in Mankato, Minnesota, but he and his wife sold it in 2019 for $315,000 after Walz was elected governor. Only time will tell which party wins the 2024 presidential election, but it looks like the official vice president’s home will have a new tenant either way come January.