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FeedHouse Detective
By katie garske
Photo by ERIC MOORE
For this historian, delving into a “project” involves searching for the kind of information often relegated to musty, long-forgotten boxes filled with yellowing papers covered in handwritten scrawl. The objects of his quest include birth, marriage, and death certificates, tax and land records, and obituaries—which means he spends a considerable amount of time in libraries, historic societies, public-record offices, and church rectories.
Through the years, Sazevich has turned up some interesting events, including a horrific axe murder at St. Paul’s Como Villa Bed and Breakfast. The 57-year-old is even a popular contact for homeowners who suspect supernatural activity. Although Sazevich is no ghost whisperer, he can confirm murders or ominous events that have taken place on a property. “I can tell [homeowners] about the deaths, but they have to name the ghost,” he says. After purchasing his own home in St. Paul’s Uppertown neighborhood, Sazevich discovered that the cozy Greek Revival was built by a great-nephew of our sixth president, John Quincy Adams. “I live in a house as old as the city,” he says of his 1854-built cottage.
Sazevich’s projects range from one to two months of research for a “social history” to a year for a more complex restoration project. He charges about $500 to resurrect a home’s social history, which includes when and under what circumstances the home was built, names of previous owners, the original owners’ country of origin, and historic photos of the house. His research for a restoration project can cost homeowners upwards of $5,000 and gives them the detailed records and information necessary to return the home to its original look.
Sazevich’s love of history was inspired by frequent visits to the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) as a child, where entertainment was plentiful and free. As a teenager, he completed his first social history project on a woman whose name he found on a piece of mail tucked away in his attic. From there, he tackled projects for neighbors. His first paying jobs paid just enough to cover his expenses.
“I never thought I was going to make a living in history,” says Sazevich, quit his job with the State of Minnesota in 1978 to pursue his passion for history full time. Soon, he developed a reputation as the eminent authority on architectural history of the Twin Cities, and began teaching “tracing” classes at the MHS. Since then, he has led prominent restorations (including Judy Garland’s house in Grand Rapids); been commissioned by governors and mayors; developed national and international historical tours; researched family genealogies for individuals; and been hired by neighborhood groups, historical societies, and local colleges and universities. Sazevich has also helped edit three books by local author Larry Millett, including his most recent publication, AIA Guide to the Twin Cities. He has plans for his own book, tentatively titled, The Late Great Estates.
It’s not his reputation as one of the metro’s most knowledgeable and sought after historians that keeps him going, however, it’s his drive to do what he loves. “There’s no retirement. This is my passion and occupation. I’m never going to be anything else.”
Katie Garske is editorial intern at Midwest Home.
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