From the assistant fire chief’s office:

At 00:52 this morning, the Duluth Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 1511 E. Superior St. The first vehicle on scene reported a working fire, with heavy fire showing from a first-floor window of a three-story building. The fire had extended to the second floor via a pipe chase.

Fire crews attacked the fire on the first and second floors. The fire was knocked down quickly before it could extend to the third floor. Minnesota power crews responded and cut power to the building. The Duluth Police Department provided street control, and Gold Cross provided a standby ambulance.

The building damage is estimated to be in excess of $150,000. Due to the size of the building, 25 firefighters responded from the Downtown, Lakeside, Lincoln Park, UMD and Woodland fire stations. There were no injuries reported. The building was not occupied at the time of the fire. The fire is under investigation by the Duluth Fire Department Fire Marshal’s Office.

Known as “Redstone,” the structure is the former home of renowned Duluth architect Oliver G. Traphagen, served as the Congdon family home before Glensheen was built, and has been the office of HTK Marketing and Communications since 1987. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been listed for sale recently at the price of $725,000.

Below is an article from the April 1988 issue of Lake Superior Magazine, which chronicles Howard Klatzky’s renovation of the old mansion.