Renovating a Classic Aberdeen Bungalow

HO! The Highlands” was the marketing slogan for a new housing development in Aberdeen around 1907. Over a hundred city blocks were platted far from the soot and smoke of downtown Aberdeen. This area north of 8th Avenue NE was a few feet higher than the flood-prone area of downtown, so this was to be the place to build palatial homes. There were a few, but despite marketing efforts to attract Aberdeen’s elite by selling big quarter-block sections, many of the blocks were broken down to smaller lots, making home ownership in the Highlands possible for a lot of people in the early 1900s. This home, circa 1920s, located in the Highlands, provided the backdrop for a modern take on classic craftsman bungalow aesthetics.

This home is owned by a family member of mine, Linda (Andrews) McQuillen, who has always had a passion for mission style, arts and crafts, and the prairie style of architecture. Linda moved back to Aberdeen from Wisconsin just prior to COVID after a successful career in advanced education coaching and consulting. She is originally from Mobridge, but her family moved here while she was in high school. Upon graduating, she attended Northern and graduated with a teaching degree. She then moved on to Wisconsin. Once back in Aberdeen, she wanted to find a house here that had good bones, no leaky basement, and lots of potential. She ultimately was drawn to this bungalow and immediately began a substantial renovation. Her goal was not to remodel the house to modernize it, but to restore its original charm, and make it cozy, and a place to display her lifelong possessions of family heirlooms, furniture, art, and things yet to come.

After a few years of intense work, she’s just about done with her master vision for the property. It is clear, every item in Linda’s house has a purpose and a story. Paint color, door pulls, custom built-ins, and woodwork have all been carefully curated by Linda’s vision based simply on what she loves. She worked with several contractors, suppliers, and her brother Jeff Andrews to get the job done. The result is simplistically beautiful, well designed, and comfortable; perfect for her lifestyle. //