We know there are tens of thousands of photos floating around out there that have captured the long history of the Monument + Preserve, the Caves, and the Chateau. From vintage portraits to candid snaps, we would absolutely love it if you could share these images with us!
If you don’t have any photos, but are still interested in helping, please consider making a monetary donation to support the archiving and curation of photos we receive from others.
We have two separate needs for these images: Photos for Reproduction and Display and Photos Depicting Historical Details
Photos for Reproduction and Display
Though we’re restoring the Chateau to its original finish and furnishings, there is so much history and so many stories to tell.
We envision a Chateau decorated with photographs taken throughout its entire history—from the early days to the modern day. We know there are countless photos taken by our countless visitors and each of those stories is an important part of our history that we want to share with future generations of visitors.
We know also how precious those memories are to the folks who have made them. If you’re willing to share your photos with us, we’ll make a high-quality digital archive and then return your originals back to you ASAP.
Our archives will be suitable for reproduction and display in the historic Chateau and will be mounted with cards containing any history you’re able to provide about the image.
Please mail physical copies to our photographic curator. Be sure to include your return address and we’ll send back your originals within a week.
Lucas Pelton
1696 Juliet Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
Include a separate sheet with as much detail about the photo(s) as you have: stories about any people in the photo, the year taken, the photographer, any backstory, etc. This really helps to fill out the context of the image when we hang it.
Historical Details
Our goal is to make the restoration of the Chateau as historically-accurate as possible.
While there are plenty of projects that entail simply restoring finishes to their original splendor, some things have been completely lost to history.
For example, original lighting fixtures removed in the 1950’s, or bathroom fixtures “updated” in the 1970’s will all have to be recreated completely from scratch. We want to provide our reproduction experts with as much source material as possible so that every detail of the original piece can be accurately recreated.
If you have access to vintage photos that are too precious or unavailable to send us, all you need to do is use your smartphone to take closeups of the historical details in the images and use the form below to upload them directly to us.
Specifically, we’re looking for anything that details lighting fixtures, furniture, door hardware and detailing, sinks and handles, …….