Mac Grove Painting works regularly throughout Saint Paul’s west side neighborhoods, and Highland Park is a place our crews know well — from the bluff streets above the Mississippi to the tree-lined blocks radiating out from the Ford Parkway corridor. That familiarity matters when you’re dealing with a neighborhood this architecturally layered.

Highland Park’s housing stock reflects nearly every era of Saint Paul’s residential development. The oldest homes carry the hallmarks of late Victorian styles — Italianate and Queen Anne forms with asymmetrical massing, decorative trim details, and wood surfaces that have been painted and repainted across generations. Moving into the early twentieth century, Tudor Revival became a dominant presence: steep gabled rooflines, half-timbering accents, and exteriors built in brick and stone that demand careful prep work and compatible coatings rather than a simple rollover of last season’s color. Colonial Revival and French-influenced designs followed, and the neighborhood’s post-WWII growth added a substantial collection of mid-century homes with their own set of material characteristics. The average build year around 1951 puts a lot of Highland Park housing right in that mixed zone where masonry revival architecture and mid-century construction sit on the same block.

Exterior Surfaces That Require the Right Approach

What that architectural variety means practically is a wide range of exterior surfaces: stucco, brick, stone, wood shingles, and painted masonry all appear with regularity, particularly along corridors like Edgcumbe Road and Snelling Avenue where some of the neighborhood’s more prominent revival-era homes are concentrated. Stucco in particular is common in Highland Park and calls for close inspection before any coating work begins — cracks and moisture infiltration around window surrounds, chimneys, and roof transitions are worth addressing before paint goes on, not after. Brick and stone homes often need tuckpointing or masonry prep evaluated as part of the project scope. Minnesota winters are not gentle to any of these materials, and homes this close to the Mississippi River bluffs can see significant freeze-thaw cycling that accelerates surface deterioration.

The neighborhood’s tree canopy, while one of Highland Park’s defining qualities, contributes real challenges for exterior finishes. Deep shade slows drying, retains moisture against siding and trim, and can shorten the effective life of a paint job if surface prep and timing aren’t managed carefully. We factor that into how we approach scheduling and product selection on shaded properties.

Highland Park’s built character is part of what makes the neighborhood worth painting carefully. The 1928 Highland Park Water Tower on Ford Parkway — built in Mankato limestone in a Mediterranean Revival style — is a useful reminder of the attention to material quality that shaped this part of Saint Paul. The homes around it deserve the same consideration. Whether the project is a Victorian-era exterior with original trim profiles or a mid-century ranch with aluminum or wood siding, the approach should fit the building, not the other way around.