Limestone

Date of Construction Multiple Choice

Relying only on the picture of the basement (above), guess the age of this Kenwood (Minneapolis) home:

A. Less than 10 years old;
B. 50 years old;
C. 75 years old;
D. Over 120 years old.

Correct answer:  “D.”

The giveaway:  the limestone foundation, characteristic of Twin Cities homes built before 1900.

By contrast, more modern homes typically have concrete block foundations, or even poured foundations (especially true of upper bracket).

More Clues

Another clue to the home’s age is the I-beam, offering additional structural support — and clearly added subsequent to the house’s 1890(!) construction.

Clue #3:  Kenwood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Minneapolis, with most of the housing stock more than a century old.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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