The property needed extensive renovation--everything from new windows from nearby Andersen Windows to new carpeting to replacing the electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems, Anderson says. "I've had an interest in that property for a long time--fixing up old buildings, that's what I do best," Dick Anderson says. "We need something to do in the winter."
Depending on his family and his riverboat crews for labor, the Andersons have bought and renovated numerous Stillwater landmarks, such as the Rivertown Inn and the Grand Banquet Hall, a former lumberyard.
All of the 23 rooms have been redone with new wall coverings, carpeting, antiques or reproductions, and whirlpool tubs, in some cases. Two suites have been added, including the top-floor penthouse suite, which used to be a conference room has been converted into the penthouse suite.
Renovating the structure was not the only challenge the Andersons faced. Some signature pieces created for the Lowell Inn were gone, including four wooden panels carved for the Swiss Alps-themed Matterhorn Room four decades ago by Edward Blatter, a Swiss carver.
The Andersons hired a Russian master carver to recreate the pieces. He also special-ordered about 100 red leather chairs from Italy. The Andersons have been scouring antique shops and EBay for furniture and furnishings for their inn.
Anderson bought the inn from Semper Development of Minneapolis, who took over the property in 1998. Semper partner Craig Christensen says there was "substantial deferred maintenance" at the Lowell Inn, and his firm had just begun making repairs when the Andersons expressed interest in buying the property.
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