June 2002: "Shorewood" - Laserfiche WebLink

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HISTORY "SHOREWOOD" Long considered on of the most admired estates remaining in the Twin Cities, "Shorewood" is being offered for sale for the first time since the mid 40s. In the late 1800s, James J. Hill purchased a large parcel of property which included "Shorewood" and the land up to the Arcola Bridge. He had plans to build his grand estate on this exceptional piece of real estate. Around the turn of the century, James J. Hill abandoned the idea and sold the land north and west of the Arcola Bridge to Thomas Henry Shevlin, a lumber tycoon and industrialist. In 1903, Mr. Shevlin built their sprawling summer home and began what is now known as "Shorewood". The original property encompassed all of the Pink Palace property, Bay Ridge Road, the present Walter Ringer property, the French Creek subdivision, and the Minnetonka Center of the Arts. In 1910, Mrs. Shevlin died and in 1912, Mr. Shevlin died; thus, leaving the estate to his three children Thomas, Florence, and Helen. Thomas, having been the then owner of "Highcroft", did not desire additional property. Subsequently, the property was divided in two. The land east of the James J. Hill railroad went to Mrs. Helen Shevlin Beckwith where she and her husband built the "Pink Palace". The property north and west of the railroad, now called "Shorewood", went to Mrs. Florence Shevlin Tenney. "Shorewood" now consisted of approximately 119 acres, presently divided as follows: Ringer Estate 14 acres Murphy Estate 48 acres Tenney Estate 11.78 acres French Creek 40 acres Mtka. Center of Arts 5 acres (approx) Mr. and Mrs. Tenney spent their summers raising their three children at "Shorewood" and living on Park Avenue in Minneapolis in the winter.