Precious Gem

When you talk to people who live in an old home, the conversation often shifts to the philosophy that we are merely stewards of a home and that a house has a life, a history, a future that is greater than we are. That was just the case when we met Tony Scornavacco and Mike Garrett. It was a pure delight to step into their 1930s home built by famed Minnesota architect Edwin Lundie. The couple lives in the main house of what was originally known as the Daniels estate on Gem Lake in White Bear Lake. The original estate included the main house, a guesthouse, service houses, and a barn, which included staff living quarters. By the 1980s, individual families owned the different structures, but the main house, on fifteen acres, was left intact with lovely gardens, a tennis court, pool, and pool house. “We knew about this home and had romanced the idea of owning it for a number of years,” says Scornavacco. “It was our incredible good fortune that all the things fell into place and we were able to purchase it and keep the acreage intact for the future. That was our goal.”

It only seems appropriate that the couple would own this home. Scornavacco is a lifelong collector and dealer of antiques from the seventeenth, eighteenth, and early nineteenth century. And together the duo owns and operates H & B Gallery, specializing in quality antiques and household items. They also conduct estate sales. Scornavacco travels nationally seven to ten times a year to attend fine antiques shows to sell his pieces. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts Art and Antiques show is his only Twin Cities show. “I’ve had the opportunity to live in several beautiful homes,” says Scornavacco. “But everything that I have accumulated throughout the years feels like it belongs in this house.”

THE OBJECT THAT GOT AWAY: “Being a dealer, I’ve had to train myself to divorce myself from the pieces. I can’t own everything, ” says Scornavacco.

LIFE IN A LANDMARK: The couple mutually agrees, “It’s like heaven on earth.”

IF WE COULD LIVE IN ANY ERA: “Edwardian England,” says Garret. “During the Renaissance,” says Scornavacco.

MOST FAMOUS DINNER GUESTS AT THE HOME: “That would have to be the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who were guests of the Daniels in the late 1930s. The governor at the time asked the Daniels to host the dinner. Fifty-six members of the press stayed in the guesthouse, and the dinner was documented in Food of My Friends, written by a Minneapolis Star reporter,” says Scornavacco.