Charlie Nelson's passion was tangible history

His 34-year career as the state's historical architect laid the foundation for historic preservation in Minnesota.

By Linda Mack, Star Tribune

In the early 1970s, Charlie Nelson drove around the entire state of Minnesota to identify its historic buildings -- from country churches to city mansions -- for the National Register of Historic Places.

"We put on over a million miles," said David Nystuen, Nelson's former colleague and driving partner at the Minnesota Historical Society.

That first statewide survey laid the foundation for the historic preservation movement in Minnesota, said Nina Archabal, director of the Historical Society, where Nelson worked for 34 years.

Nelson, 61, died Saturday, two years after retiring as the state historical architect.

"There's no replacing Charlie Nelson," Archabal said. "There's not one person who has the knowledge of the whole state, the willingness to work with people and the passion and the heart."

In his role as state historical architect, Nelson reviewed renovation projects to make sure they met federal standards, assisted local groups trying to save an old mill or an urban neighborhood like St. Paul's Irvine Park, and traveled the state giving slide shows to educate folks on the right way to deal with their historic buildings.

"We worked with Charlie a lot," said architect Chuck Liddy of the Minneapolis firm Miller Dunwiddie. "Sometimes it was because we had to do it and other times we did courtesy reviews to make sure we were doing the right thing. He approached things from a practical standpoint."

And he wasn't just an intellectual preservationist. He loved the log cabin restoration workshops he led because "it got him outdoors and working with his hands," said his wife, Angie.

In his nonworking hours, he worked on his beloved 1927 Packard roadster and founded the Minnesota Masonic Historical Society.

"He was the driving force" behind the society and its museum, which recently opened at the Minnesota Masonic Home in Bloomington, Nystuen said. He also consulted on the Weisman Art Museum's 1996 exhibit on Masonic theatrical productions.

"In the last two years he catalogued and organized all the Masonic ritual he'd been collecting for 25 years," said Ray Hayward, a Masonic brother.

His love of history also played out in the Old Highland Neighborhood in north Minneapolis, where the Nelsons bought an 1895 Queen Anne Victorian in 1971.

In addition to restoring that house, they bought several other houses and fixed them up or moved them to save them.

"He always had that love of history. It was part of his genes," said Angie Nelson. "He knew from a child that he wanted to be an architect. He loved rescuing things that were part of buildings that were being torn down. And he always loved Minnesota."

A Masonic service will be held at 7 p.m. today with visitation beginning at 4 p.m. at Billman-Hunt Funeral Chapel, 2701 Central Av. NE. , Minneapolis. A Knights Templar and memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday with visitation an hour prior at Lakewood Memorial Chapel, 3600 Hennepin Av. S., Minneapolis.

Linda Mack • 612-673-7124 • lmack@startribune.com