The Queen gets her crown
Crews continue to work on the Magnuson House on Cedar Street in Wallace. The new turret is actually how the home was originally built in the 1900s. The famous home caught fire last August when construction crews working on the roof accidentally started a fire using a torch to heat up roofing tar.
Photo by JOSH McDONALD
WALLACE — Almost 13 months after a fire ripped through the upstairs of the Magnuson House, not only has most of the damage been repaired, but the historic home has been restored to its original glory — including once again donning a Queen Anne Turret.
The Cedar Street house, one of the Four Queens of Cedar Street has been the family home of the Magnusons for the better part of the past century.
Elsie Magnuson, widow of retired First District Judge and lifetime Wallace resident Richard G. "Dick" Magnuson was safely evacuated from the house during the fire, which began when work crews using a blow torch to heat roofing tar accidentally set fire to the roof, unbeknownst to them at the time.
The crews continued to work on the roof until a neighbor informed them of the smoke coming from the house, which then kicked off the emergency response.
Despite the fire and subsequent water damage, the decision to restore the home was never in question according to son Rick Magnuson.
“We played the hand we were dealt,” Magnuson said. “The home is just too important to our family and to the town. We knew that we wanted to rebuild.”
The turret was placed back on the southwest corner of the home in late September after being missing for decades and was part of the home’s original design, but was taken off the home and replaced with a more traditional style roof prior to the fire.
“We don’t know when it went away,” Magnuson said. “We are excited to put it back to its original form.”
The turret’s placement and the progress of the work aren’t the only bits of good news for the Magnuson family, according to Rick, the work has progressed enough that Elsie will be able to move back into her home – hopefully by the end of this month.
“There is a section of the home that is ready for her to occupy it safely,” Magnuson said. “We found a really good contractor who has done a great job for us. It’s been a lot of work, but it was absolutely worth it.”
At this time, it is unknown what the full timeline for the completion of the home will be.