Major projects

History Commission

Burwell House

One of the commission’s biggest projects has been the Charles H. Burwell Historic Site.

The Charles H. Burwell site has been owned by the city of Minnetonka since 1970. The commission was formed in response to a request from the Minnetonka Historical Society for assistance with completing the restoration of this site. The commission served as overseers for the project, and sought input from the society and others during the restoration project. With the completion of the restoration project, the main focus of their efforts has shifted to marketing of the site to make sure it is available to the public.

The city offers a free public tour program from June through September, which is operated by the city. There are several events held at the Burwell site each year, which are now jointly sponsored by the city and the society. These events include:

Ice Cream Social
Held on the last Saturday of June. This event is like a Victorian lawn party with ice cream, lemonade, tours, entertainment, and other family fun.
Holiday Open House
The Burwells celebrated Christmas, so each year the house is decorated for the holidays and opened on the first Sunday of December.
Tours
Tours are conducted on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from June through Labor Day each year. Call 952.939.8200 for times.

Thousands of people come to events or tours at the site each year. The commission continues to work on acquiring additional furnishings for the house. They are also working on some site improvements, including interpretive signs, funded by the Parks Renewal Program.

Minnetonka Town Hall

This historic building is located at the intersection of Baker Road and Minnetonka Boulevard. A joint committee is looking at the feasibility of moving this structure and possible future uses for it should the Minnetonka Community Church require use of the property. (The church owns the property on which the building is located.)

Windshield Survey

Commission members are serving as volunteers to canvass the city and document the structures that are 50 years old or more. The purpose of this survey is to take a photograph of the structure for documentation purposes. This will be a multi-year project.

Landmark Program

This program began in 1995 and 15 properties have since been designated as landmarks. This is a voluntary program to encourage the owners of our historic structures and places to preserve them. There are no negative impacts to landmark designation, and a plaque is awarded to landmarks. An online application for this award will be available soon.

Minnetonka Historical Society cooperation

The commission continues to work with the Minnetonka Historical Society. Refer to the city calendar for future meeting dates. Contact staff at 952.939.8200 for agenda materials.