By Catherine Carey
Reprinted from Town Life Magazine©

Sitting on a comfortable red sofa in the Solheim mansion, one can gaze out the window toward the lake and imagine the muted strains of a 20th Century band. A grassy mound from which musicians once played hints at a time when guests arrived in horse-drawn carriages to sip tea and listen to the music in the shadow of the magnificent house.

History
Solheim, which means "Home of the Sun" in Norwegian, has a storied history that includes visiting royalty and dignitaries. The home was built in 1897 by Engelbrecht H. Hobe, a lumber dealer and Vice-Consul to the Norwegian-Swedish Kingdom.

Solheim was built on a 600-acre tract along the northwest shores of Bald Eagle Lake. It has since been inducted into the National Register of Historical Places.

In a 1981 letter for registry consideration, then-owners Greg and Gail Penning described the history of the home.

"In 1909, Hobe was awarded a Swedish medal at Solheim by Swedish King Gustav V. In 1910, he became the consul for Norway only," they wrote. "In the ‘30s, Crown Prince Olave and Princess Martha of Norway visited Engelbrecht H. Hobe at Solheim on Bald Eagle."

According to one account, hundreds of people lined the streets between White Bear and Bald Eagle lakes to wave flags as the royal carriage passed. Like many large homes during the Great Depression, private apartments were added in the basement as rental units.

In 1940, Hobe died at Solheim. The Norwegian government then presented his widow with a medal and diploma from the order of St. Olav sent by King Haakon IV of Norway, for her husband’s 48 years as Norwegian consul. In attendance was the new consul, Arne Fremmegaard, along with Hallvard Askeland, Sr., chairman of the Normannsforbundet, and Dr. Ivard Sivertson, both of whom were Knights of the Order of St. Olav.

"After 1940, the land and buildings belonging to Hobe went to his heirs who formed the Solheim corporation," the Pennings wrote. "The corporation sold some of the lakeshore and donated some to Ramsey County for a nature preserve."

"In 1957, Solheim (main house) was sold to a family with five children. They were beset with tragedy, personal and financial. The house suffered over the years."

The Pennings purchased the home in 1978 and sold it three years later to its present owners, Barb Jacobson, of Pine Tree Apple Orchard, and husband Dr. John Cretzmeyer.

Each August, the Pine Tree Tennis Classic (a charitable event), auctions off an elegant five-course dinner at Solheim during the Christmas season.

Construction
In 1897, the Solheim Farm stretched from the main house north to Hobe Lane. Solheim mansion now sits on 2.7 acres near Co. Rd. H-2 and W. Bald Eagle Blvd. Its main entrance has been moved from the east side (facing the lake) to the south side (closer to the boulevard) due to a change in the roadway.

"We liked the way it sat on the lot. My husband’s grandmother’s house in Iowa was like this," said Jacobson. "We also like the lake being so close. It’s our entertainment."

Gone are the outbuildings that once accompanied the home: guest house, carriage house, bath house and three-story horse barn (razed in 1978).

Solheim can best be described as a two-story Victorian Gothic with 18 rooms, hexagonal conservatory, cupola, five fireplaces, double oak doors, beveled glass, hardwood floors, two staircases, 10-foot high ceilings and four-story flag tower. "The woodwork was crafted in Norway ... and numbered and shipped here where it was assembled. The banquet room is paneled in six-foot oak wainescoating and has an ornate oak-beamed ceiling with beaded trim and painted linen squares," wrote the Pennings. "The fireplace is cut beige granite and carved to match the ceiling with a Greek key motif ... The music room contains ornate paneling four feet up the wall with gold parquet of ebony, walnut and maple."

Other rooms are equally impressive. "The parlor is paneled four feet up with ebony, gold leaf, maple and walnut and has a parquet ceiling of the same wood. A green onyx fireplace faces the lake ... French doors lead to the foyer which contains the carved oak staircase to the second floor. A set of beveled glass doors lead to the front entrance with coat room containing brass coat holders and a beveled glass window facing the lake," the Pennings wrote. "Another set of double doors leads out the front porch to a marble sidewalk and to musicians mound. Another level of the front yard leads to the lake, with a spectacular view of an island in the middle of the lake."

"The bedrooms ... have sitting rooms or dressing rooms," they continued. "One contains a corner tower, another a four-window bay. Some have built-in closets."

Renovations
Solheim has changed quite a bit over the years. Gone are the gas lights, original chandeliers, stained-glass windows, brass fixtures and wrap-around porches. Entrances have been changed. Staircases rebuilt. Floors added on top of floors as heating and plumbing improvements were made. Bowing walls shored up with steel beams. Water damage repaired.

Still, the character and dignity of Solheim remain the same.

"When the wind blows the house doesn’t make a sound," said Jacobson. "Just don’t ask me about the heating bills."