Reprint courtesy the Jordan Independent and South Suburban Publishing, Shakopee, MN

Couple offers a peek into the past ; Open house at Nicolin Mansion Saturday, 2-6 p.m.
By Charlene Koepp, Editor

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

"It's been an adventure," said Kevin Knox, who with the help of his wife Terri, has been remodeling the historic Nicolin house on Broadway Street. "But, it's beginning to feel a lot like home."

The couple purchased the 1888 Nicolin Inn from Troy and Laura Chamberlain in June and have been remodeling and adding their own special touches to the home. They renamed the house the Nicolin Mansion, as it was originally called, and will host an open house this Saturday from 2-6 p.m., so the public can view the fruits of their labor. The home is one of 16 buildings in Jordan listed on the

Former Owners
The Knoxes are the eighth owners of the Nicolin house, which was built in 1888 by one of Jordan's most prominent business pioneers, Frank Nicolin. Nicolin owned the house until 1917, when he sold it to the Kaiser family who operated it as the Kaiserhof Hotel. Several years later, in 1920, Ben and Ida Mertz purchased the building. The Mertzes remodeled, removing a storm-damaged steeple-like tower that extended up from the roofline, and adding a stucco sun porch to the building. They operated the home as a boarding house for many years, until Ida sold it to Gail Andersen in 1974. After living in the home for nearly 20 years, Andersen sold the home to Kevin Breeggemann in 1994, who in turn sold it to Deb Wiss in 1996. Breeggemann and his uncle, innkeeper Lee Kness, did some major remodeling on the home, including tearing off the stucco porch that had been added in the mid-1990s, and replacing it with a wood porch more suitable to the era of the mansion. Both Breeggemann and Wiss ran a bed and breakfast business in the mansion.

In 1998, Troy and Laura Chamberlain purchased the home. The Chamberlains made some major infrastructure improvements to the home, including replacing all the plumbing and electrical and adding a water purification system.

Since the Knoxes purchased the home last June, they've remodeled the kitchen and basement, replaced the city water line, replaced the windows, and are in the process of restoring the home's stained glass. In addition they've made many cosmetic improvements, such as adding crown moldings around the ceilings, improving the lighting, adding an embossed tin ceiling in the kitchen, and painting and staining, and rewiring.

The couple is working on the perennial gardens and garden pond, and plans to use brick they've moved from the basement floor to build a brick patio and fireplace in the yard.

History of the Mansion
Frank Nicolin, who came to Minnesota from Stommeln, Cologne, Germany in 1854, built the mansion in 1888. He moved to Jordan in 1857. Like most foreigners coming to the New World from Germany, Frank and his wife Anna were comparatively poor, but using sound business knowledge and hard work, Nicolin commenced business in Jordan in 1859. He first engaged in the mercantile business, but soon expanded his holdings to include flour mills, breweries, stores, a saloon, an opera and dance hall, a brickyard and sandstone quarry and a coopershop (where he made wooden tubs). The Nicolins were well-respected and generous, even donating the high altar at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church when the church was built in 1889.

When the Nicolin's built the Broadway Street home in 1888, local folk watched the magnificent home's construction closely. An excerpt from a June 1988 Jordan Independent read, "If you don't think Frank [Nicolin] is going to have the finest residence ever erected in Scott County, then you're no judge."

Frank Nicolin was a well-known and well-loved man in Jordan, at one point being village president (mayor). When the family moved into the home, they were serenaded by the local band. According to another excerpt from an Oct. 1888 Jordan Independent, "In the evening they were serenaded by the band. The party was invited into the magnificent sitting room and royally treated for a few hours. The entire building has been furnished new and elegantly from garret to parlor. It is truly a magnificent dwelling costing almost, if not, $15,000."

The brick used to build the Nicolin Mansion came from Nicolin's own sandstone quarry, located within the Jordan village limits. The woodwork in the home is all original, and most is handcrafted cherry.

The home features a polygonal turret, two-story bay window, original handcrafted cherry woodwork, and stained glass windows from Prussia.

A Dream Home
The Knoxes have decorated the Nicolin Mansion with antiques that they've collected throughout their lives and period reproductions to match what was in the house or era. Some come from local, others from nationwide antique stores, some from Internet searches for "Jordan" memorabilia. They have furnished the rooms with large, overstuffed furnishings for a comfortable feeling. Kevin, with a career in construction, has done most of the remodeling; Terri has added her decorating talents to the project. It's been a labor of love for the couple.

"This place is a dream come true for us," said Terri. "It's where we want to be."

For more information on the Nicolin Mansion, access the Knoxes Web site at www.nicolinmansion.com or call 952-492-6441.

Charlene Koepp can be reached at editor@jordannews.com

Once again, there have been numerous improvements made to the historic mansion, both by the new owners, the Knoxes, and by the former owners, the Chamberlains. The Chamberlains had intended to re-open the mansion as a bed and breakfast themselves, but then decided to take advantage of an opportunity to open a winery in the St. Croix Valley. In the future, watch for a wine named for the Nicolin Mansion. The Chamberlains have promised to develop one just for the historic mansion.

The Nicolin Mansion is only one of 16 Jordan buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Don't you think that must be some sort of record?

Terri Knox is on the constant lookout for pictures or stories of the mansion. If there are local residents who remember how the mansion was used throughout the years or who would be willing to share pictures (to be returned, of course), they should call Terri Knox, 952-492-6441.