By: MARIA OROPEZA, Lake Voice All cities and towns start from somewhere, but there is usually more than one side to every story.
In the early days, Duluth was a major port for shipping and a huge contributor to the railroad, according to Zenith City Online.
People were moving to Duluth from all over to get a piece of the city that was once in the running to becoming a major center for trade and business. One of these people was A.G. Thomson.
A.G. Thomson House, now a bed and breakfast inn, owned by Tim Allen and his wife, was once the residence of a wealthy hardware company owner, A.G. Thomson. The house was built in 1909 and bought by the Thomson family in 1915.
The Allens bought the house eight years ago with the intention of turning it into a bed and breakfast.
“It’s a really good use of these big homes that would otherwise be empty,” Allen said.
When the Allen’s first bought the house, there were 11 other houses turned B and B’s in the area. Over the years some of them have been bought out and returned to private residences; leaving just six of the original 12 bed and breakfasts.
Allen believes this is because of the costly upkeep of a 100 year old house and other costs of running a business. Most of the houses are outdated and need renovation and a lot of attention.
“It would be sad for Duluth to lose anything in this mansion district we have,” he said.
Another was J.B. Cotton, a mining and railroad attorney , whose clients included John D. Rockefeller, commissioned notable architecture company Kees and Colburn to build the magnificent residence.
The Cotton family lived in the great house until 1917 and was then used as a summer home for the Cottons until 1940. After J.B. Cotton passed away, the house was given to what was then the Normal School, a teachers college, now University of Minnesota Duluth.
The mansion’s library housed Tweed Hall and the Arts and Humanities department. It remained part of the UMD campus until 1960 when it was bought and converted into a boarding house for students.
Cotton Mansion was bought in 1998 by now owners Ken and Kim Aparicio. They have renovated and updated much of the house, in order to create the bed and breakfast.
The Aparicio’s restored the first floor of the house but kept it in its authentic state, with the spectacular details and original dining set. It was important to Ken to keep the houses genuine features as much as possible.
“It means something, it has sustainability,” Ken Aparicio said.