Historic Restorations & Discoveries

Scaffolding has been a mainstay at the American Swedish Institute since April 2022. With construction crews bustling away both inside and outside the historic Turnblad Mansion, Phase 1 of our ongoing Stories, Stonework & Stewardship Campaign is well underway and making great progress.

The first phase of the project primarily includes exterior work on the Mansion, and also a full renovation and restoration of the Carriage House. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the ASI community, more than $12 million has been secured for this essential work, and Phase 1 has nearly reached its completion. Inside the Carriage House, historic finds abound. Under the carpeted floor of what used to be the entrance lobby lay intricate brick tiling and an embedded circular metal groove that enabled a round turntable to rotate an automobile. Architects have also discovered sealed-over pocket doors, hidden windows, and even a passageway that may have originally been used to transport hay in and out of the stables.

ASI looks forward to the conclusion of Phase 1 come year end, and looks ahead to Phase 2 which seeks to restore and preserve the interior of the Turnblad Mansion. Learn how your support can help safeguard the future of these historic assets at asimn.org/support/mansionproject

Outside on the east veranda, decades of natural weathering combined with salt and ice led to irreparable damage to the veranda’s limestone. Over the last few months, stone masons in partnership with preservation architects have worked to fully rebuild and restore this focal point of the Turnblad Mansion’s exterior with new limestone from Indiana quarries.