Hill bought three lots on Summit Avenue in 1882, during an era when wealthy citizens were scrambling to build fashionable homes in the neighborhood.

The street offered a commanding view of downtown St. Paul and the Mississippi River area, making it a highly desirable location.

As an example, when the Lewis Comfort Tiffany Company submitted designs for the stained glass windows, Hill replied that they were, "anything but what I want," and the job went to A.B.

Later, in 1889, Hill fired the architects because they had overridden his orders to the stonecutters in Massachusetts, and hired the Boston firm of Irving and Casson to finish the project.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reviewed the house just before it was completed in 1891, writing: Solid, substantial, roomy, and comfortable is the new home of James J. Hill and family.

Just a family home ... impressive, fine, even grand in the simplicity of design, but after all a St. Paul home.The interior features an art gallery that housed Hill's collection of painting and sculpture.

The third floor contained rooms for their sons James, Walter, and Louis (who later succeeded his father as president of the Great Northern Railway).