Ever wonder why — according to Hennepin County tax records — so many properties were built in 1900?
No, that wasn’t the peak of a construction boom.
The answer: county records don’t go back any further.
So, any property built before then is simply coded as “1900.”
In practice, it’s possible to guess the structure’s exact age by examining its foundation (partial, limestone basements suggest a decade or more older than 1900); heating plant, assuming it’s original; and other features like siding, mill work, and leaded glass windows.
