The Anderson Center is committed to the stewardship and restoration of our home in the historic, landmark Tower View Estate. Significant work has been done to-date to restore the National Historic Register buildings at Tower View. The Anderson Center has received four major awards for its restoration efforts: the 2000 Preservation Award from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and Awards of Merit in 2000, 2004, and 2007 from the City of Red Wing Heritage Preservation Commission.
The work of maintaining and preserving historic buildings is ongoing. In 2019, the Anderson Center began structural repair work on the balcony of the landmark water tower. This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society, and by the Red Wing Area Fund. Water Tower Balcony structural construction was completed in 2020.
2012 - 2018
The kitchen in the historic residence was renovated in 2018. Historic cabinets were restored and repaired, and contemporary appliances replaced the 1980’s kitchen. This project ensures that the kitchen in the historic residence matches the quality of the rest of the house and will continue to serve the Anderson Center’s Artists-in-Residence and rental clients for years to come.
In 2011, the Anderson Center acquired eleven acres just east of the main property, including five buildings. The farmhouse on this part of the property was built for A.P.'s chief engineer in 1923. By the late 1930's, A.P.'s son John had moved in with his wife, Eugenie. John was an accomplished artist and photographer, and Eugenie was the United States’ first woman ambassador, appointed to Denmark by President Truman in 1949.
The John Anderson property includes a former chicken coop that was converted into an artist studio by John Anderson and Charles Biederman in the late 1930’s. This studio is where Biederman, with John’s assistance, first created many of his early three-dimensional works that quickly earned him an international reputation. The Chicken Coop Studio continues to be an art studio today. The purchase of this property allowed two sections of Tower View, divided for nearly a half century, to come together again.
2010 - 2012
In 2010, the Center undertook the rehabilitation of its historic 1915 barn and silo. This structure now serves as flexible meeting and event space, hosting everything from music performances to board meetings. Rent the barn for your next event.
The Tower View barn measures 72 feet in length, 33 feet in width, and 38 feet in height. The exterior walls are of board and batten construction, and the roof is traditional gambrel in design. The interior is comprised of two floors. The ground level was originally fitted with stalls and stanchions for housing farm animals. The second floor was a haymow and contains a classically Midwestern gothic truss ceiling with timbered cross-bracing for support. The adjacent silo is 45 feet high and 20 feet in diameter.
To restore the silo, engineered footings, angle iron supports, and insulation were added, and a new cement block outer coating was constructed to support the original wall. Windows were added on the north and south sides, and the cone-shaped roof was fitted with new tiles, copper sheeting, and insulation.
2007
2004-2006
2002-2004
The original hand-painted walls of the dining and living rooms were restored, as was the ceiling of the front porch entrance of the main residence. The original 1930's photographic dark room was rehabilitated, and the old Tower View smokehouse was converted into an outdoor gas-fired pottery kiln.
1999-2002
The Tower View estate underwent a restoration of property sites and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the main residence, landmark water tower, laboratories, greenhouse, and ice house. Buildings were tuckpointed and roof repairs were done. Original blueprints, photos, and Anderson family archives were consulted to assure historic accuracy.
