St. Cloud’s Foley Mansion Open for Holiday Tours

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- After a devastating fire, sitting empty for 20 years, and a more than two-year restoration project, the Foley Mansion in South St. Cloud is all decked out for the holidays.

The owners of the property have a variety of public tour options including a general history tour, a holiday tour and tea, and evening candlelight tours.

EARLY BEGINNINGS:
The home at 385 3rd Avenue South was built by Timothy and Mary Foley in 1889.  The Foley's made their money in the lumber industry.

The Foleys lived in the home with their two servants for about 15 years.  They never had any children.  The main level of the home would have been used as their entertainment area for the high society of St. Cloud during that period.  The upstairs level was used as a private residence.

Six different families lived in the home over the decades, until it was nearly destroyed in a fire in 2002 damaging 60 to 70 percent of the structure.

RESTORATION:
Allen and Carmen Arvig of Perham are the current owners of the Foley Mansion.  They spent over 2 1/2 years working with designers and architects to bring it back to life.

General Manager Jordan Goodwater says the Arvigs are very community-focused and love historic buildings.  They didn't want it to be leveled, turned into a rental property, or even a private home.  Instead, they wanted it to be open for the public to enjoy.

Each of the families that owned the home had made modifications, so they examined over 200 photos from the Stearns History Museum to restore it to as close as they could to what it looked like when the Foleys owned it.

Seventy percent of the woodwork is original.  There are 70 windows in the mansion and all of the stained glass windows are original.

BACK TO LIFE:
The Foley Mansion opened to the public in May of 2024 as a Boutique Event Center.  Goodwater says they've held small weddings, birthday parties, and foundation dinners at the mansion so far.

The St. Cloud Rotary Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and is having its Christmas Party in the 135-year-old building in December.

The Carriage House on the property has a bar in it for small outdoor gatherings.

They have done a handful of public tours already.  A firefighter who responded to the fire back in 2002, family members of people who lived there, and people who live in that neighborhood have all stopped by to see it now.

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You can see it for yourself by signing up for one of the variety of tour options they have available on their website.  The ticket prices range from $20 to $40 depending on which tour you sign up for. The Christmas decorations have already been set up for the holiday season.

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