Discover This Must-See Gorgeous Castle Found in Minnesota

While most people think of all of the lakes Minnesota has to offer, would you believe that there’s incredible architecture there as well? Just a short trip from Minneapolis lies a city by the name of Minnetonka. Here lies a jaw-dropping castle that instantly brings you back in time. 

Today we’re going to look at everything there is to know about the Rufus R. Rand house. Who is Rufus and what’s his association to a castle in Minnesota with his name? Keep on reading to find out! 

Who is Rufus R. Rand?

Rufus R. Rand Jr. was the son of Minnegasco Company owner Rufus R. Rand. The family has been successful for decades as Rufus is the grandson of Arthur Rand, a former mayor of Minneapolis. 

Rand grew to love flying as a child. He was a founding member of the college’s AERO club and built and piloted his own bicycle chain-powered aircraft.

In World War I, Rufus R. Rand, who belonged to the family that founded the Minneapolis Gas Company, enlisted in the Lafayette Flying Corps. He eventually made his way back to Minnesota, where he invested in an aircraft company in the late 1920s. 

He then took over as the administrator when the business filed for bankruptcy just two years later. Rand owned the final five Pinto aircraft produced by the business and sold them to cover expenses. 

Rand had ties to the Universal Air Lines Company as well. He was a trustee of the University of Minnesota and erected the Rand Tower headquarters in downtown Minneapolis in the 1930s.

In 1929, he was elected as Wayzata’s first mayor. He also developed Still Pond and acquired land on McGinty Road from a family of the same name. This is where the castle would eventually be built! 

Features of the Rufus R. Rand Castle in Minnesota

This home was a magnificent French Chateau-style home with 14 bedrooms, 13 fireplaces, and 16 bathrooms. There you would find marble stairs, sunken landscaping, water fountains, an observatory, and a 1.3 million-gallon swimming pool. Construction for this home took place during the Great Depression.

Approximately halfway through construction, a fire in Minnetonka damaged the 63-room Rufus R. Rand home. Once the construction was completed, they christened the “Still Pond” estate, which was situated on 250 acres, just west of Gray’s Bay. 

The residence was frequently described as the finest suburban home west of Chicago. 

Famous Ownership

After the Rand family left the 275-acre property in 1944, Cargill became the owner of Still Pond. The estate temporarily functioned as the business’s headquarters, and in 1977 it even underwent a 15,000-square-foot addition. 

Around 40 of the top executives began to gather at Still Pond after an additional workplace was constructed on the campus in 1975. Then, in order to be close to the remaining members of the team, all of the executives relocated away from it in 2016.

Destruction of the Rufus R. Rand Castle

The Still Pond home is another name for this beautiful home. It’s one of the only castles in Minnesota. Eventually bought by Cargill to have as their lake office, but it was destroyed in 2020. The mansion, which was completed in 1931, is no longer there, but certain relics and artifacts have been retrieved by the company’s preservation workers. 

The building’s potential as a library or museum was briefly discussed internally, but according to business spokesman Daniel Sullivan, stripping the entire interior would have been necessary to bring the building’s construction up to code. 

The house’s architectural design made it incredibly challenging to meet accessibility and security standards, and materials like flooring, plaster, insulation, and more could contain substances that are currently regarded as hazardous. The footprint of the home is going to be transformed into green space, as stated in an announcement from Cargill.

Wildlife Near the Rufus R. Rand Castle

While you can’t visit the castle due to the destruction, there are plenty of wildlife that roam around Minnetonka, MN. There’s a lake that shares the same name as the town where people frequently boat, fish, and look at the massive homes that border the lake. 

Approximately 16 miles to the west-southwest of Minneapolis, MN, is a lake called Lake Minnetonka. There are roughly 23 named bays and regions in Lake Minnetonka. There are several chances to capture an array of fish species, such as walleye, muskie, bass, and panfish, on the area’s 14,000 acres of water and more than 100 miles of shoreline.

Throughout the area, you could spot bald eagles, loons, moose, and bears. Along with approximately 250 different bird species, Minnesota is also home to the biggest population of timber wolves in the lower 48 states.