When Dr. Susan Hagstrum moved into Eastcliff in December 2002, the house at 176 North Mississippi River Boulevard was not unfamiliar to her. Growing up in St. Paul, she would bike past the white manor, never imagining that one day sheâÄôd live there.
âÄúThe house is bigger than any other houses around it,âÄù Hagstrum said. âÄúI used to think a princess lived there.âÄù
Eastcliff is the official residence of the University of Minnesota president. Hagstrum has lived there with her husband, University President Bob Bruininks, for eight years and finds it hard to believe their time at Eastcliff is coming to an end.
The coupleâÄôs departure at the end of BruininksâÄô term as president in June will spur a handful of renovation projects for the next president.
On Thursday, the Eastcliff Technical Advisory Committee is proposing three projects to the Board of Regents âÄî the first major renovations since the 1990s. The plans include installing a small kitchen on the second floor where the president and his family live, and repairing the summerhouse and patio around the pool.
The ETAC estimated the cost of the projects at $550,000. The Brooks family, which owns the property, will cover 60 percent of the expenses. The remaining 40 percent will come from other private donors.
Proposed changes will be made immediately after the president and his wife leave Eastcliff in the spring.
âÄúWe have been talking about [the plans] for a long time, but this is the first time that it is being brought forward for approval,âÄù ETAC chairman Lyndel King said. âÄúThere has never been a good time to do it before.âÄù
âÄú[The Brooks family] didnâÄôt tell us what they wanted,âÄù King said. âÄúWe showed them the designs and they were perfectly happy with them.âÄù
The Brooks family was not the only group to have a say in the Eastcliff renovations. Since the property is on the National Register of Historic Places, the ETAC was required to get approval from the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office.
The office does a design review when historic properties are being rehabilitated and will work with designers at the University to make sure the changes are appropriate, Mary Ann Heidemann, manager of government programs and compliance, said. Once a written agreement is reached, any changes to the original plan could violate state law.
These regulations were implemented under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as a way to protect historic sites from destruction or poor caretaking.
Hagstrum said living in Eastcliff has been an âÄúhonor and privilege,âÄù as well as a responsibility. The house hosted more than 8,000 guests last year.
âÄúI try to be very careful here because everything about this place is precious. We try to live carefully and respectfully.âÄù
Among the things Hagstrum will miss most are the garden and the artwork loaned to them by the Weisman Art Museum.
Once they leave Eastcliff, Hagstrum and Bruininks will move to an apartment in downtown Minneapolis.