Welcome to the Cotton Mansion. You’re in the foyer and are at the first stop on our self-guided audio tour. We often get asked about the history of this place. Just stepping inside makes you want to know more. Who lived here? How old is it? What did they do? What’s the history? What type of architecture is this? Who restored it? We hear these questions all the time.

We thought we’d make a self-guided audio tour to collect all the information we’ve learned over the years and share it with you. Let me share the stories and the histories of Cotton Mansion. This audio tour is narrated by me, Mike, for I’m the current owner of Cotton Mansion and your private tour guide today. First, a little biography on your host.

I’m a contractor, hotelier, traveler, and history buff, mostly in that order. We purchased the Cotton Mansion in 2022 from a retiring couple who loved on this property for 25 years. Ken and Kimberly Aparicio . They made several improvements and largely saved it from the wrecking ball in the 1990s, but more work was needed, and we picked up the torch in 2022 with a grander vision of what Cotton Mansion could be today.

We thoroughly renovated the 12 guest rooms, installed commercial kitchen equipment, and updated the main floor. We also had to stabilize and restore many of the more unglamorous yet expensive facets of a property like this. The 120-year-old internal gutter system leaked, and there were leaks in many rooms throughout the building. The power service was still original to 1908, and that had to get replaced, which is underground, if you can believe it.

There were many serious masonry issues, including over 100 feet of railings that were cast in stone and had to get replaced and brought to modern code, along with numerous other improvements. These repairs took about three years to complete. It’s been a fun project to undertake and share with others like yourself.

My favorite lens on history is the through line. I’ve always been curious about something in front of me today and what made it come to be that way. What was its origin story? How did it get here? I personally love the history of Cotton Mansion because it’s tied in so many ways to the rise of Duluth itself. Duluth flourished and had a front-row seat to the U.S. expansion west and subsequent Industrial Revolution that is America’s late-1800s history. Cotton Mansion is an inside look at the life of a tycoon and his family in a fascinating time.

It’s also a fine example of architecture, mansions, and the people who lived in them at the turn of the 20th century. The Cottons and the Cotton Mansion were at center stage of some of Duluth’s origin stories that we’ll share as we tour the Cotton Mansion. As we move from room to room, we’ll talk about the construction of this house, the family that lived here, and how the Cotton Mansion has evolved, much as Duluth has, over the last hundred years.

The full common-area tour has 12 stops. It will take you on a nice walking tour through all the common spaces from top to bottom. You’re currently in the foyer, which is the first stop. As an added bonus, if you’re staying with us in the Cotton Mansion, you’ll find an extra QR code in your guest suite. Each of the guest rooms is themed from the architecture and histories of the space and the family that built Cotton Mansion.

Throughout the tour, we’ll tell you about the original Cotton family that built this home. We’ll explore the time period that it was built and talk about the life of the staff who also lived here. We’ll talk about some pertinent Duluth history and talk about the previous five owners of Cotton over the last 120 years. Of course, we’ll also discuss architecture and all the unique materials used throughout the Cotton Mansion.

This home is almost 17,000 square feet, so there’s a lot to cover. I hope you have fun and enjoy the tour. Please head into the living room for the next stop on the self-guided audio tour. You’ll find the QR code for the living room audio guide on the white limestone mantel.