Land Survey
Survey of the property was done in 1982 for Portrait Gallery the business operated in the site for over 34 years. No major changes in property other than a fence was installed around the paremeter of the property. Fence was installed 4" inside the surveyed property boundries.
Property is approximately 15,000 square feet of land with home that has approximately 1100 square feet per floor. It has an attached garage designed for early model automobiles and is not suitable for modern day cars. Garage is currently used as storage of lawn maintenance equipment and has a loft for additional home storage.
Main Floor
5 Rooms, Foyer, Bathroom and 2 closets
Front Foyer, Front Parlor, Sitting Room, TV Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and 3/4 bath and two closets.
Front foyer features an ornate stair case leading up to the second floor. Back Dining room has a second stair case leading up to the back bedroom.
Main floor has 10' high ceilings.
Second Floor
4 bedrooms, bathroom, and 5 closets
Front bedroom is 14 x 14 and was used as a camera room and can be easily converted back into a master bedroom with 8 x 8 walk-in closet and an additional small side closet.
West bedroom is 16 x 12 with a built in California style modular closet.
East Bedroom is 12 x 10 with small 4 x 6 closet. Was used as a small office.
Back bedroom is a unique shape with 250 squre feet of space. Has a built in book shelf and small closet.
Bathroom is 11 x 8 and features dual his & her sinks with built in cabinetry.
Second floor has 9 ' ceilings.
Basement
Approximately 950 Square feet that include: a large shop, non-conforming bedroom, 3/4 bath, walk in closet, large storage area and main laundry room with desk and work area.
Sale will include the washer, dryer, upright deep freezer, air compressor, storage cabinets, shelving and bedroom mirror.
Air compressor feeds outside garage, shop, dinning room closet and outside by underground sprinkler system for winter blow out. Air outlet also by back garage to air up tires, etc.
Potential Parking
If the new owner is a business or home business then parking for customers could be a concern. Existing drive and parking will accomodate 6 vehicles parked diagonally as shown. Paint striping would help demark the expected places to park.
The property is 2-1/2 city lots and is capable of easily handling parking for up to 20 cars.
Assumption is an average car is 6.5' wide by 18' long. Ample sized parking stalls of 10' wide x 20' deep.
Create a paved U-shape drive way with paved parking in the back as well as along the West side of egress drive.
The layout assumes that all existing trees would be saved and that the existing posing rocks, playhouse, rustic barn set, and terraced gardens would be removed.
Zoning Setbacks for Anoka EM-2
The existing property and building are grandfathered into the city of Anoka permitted use.
The allowed or permited use is most businesses and residential uses with the exception of certain extremely high traffic uses.
If any improvement to the building or parking are made then a permit from the city is required and the specifications listed would apply.
The limitation for paved or impervious surface area for the EM-2 zoning is 75% of the lot size. If need for more paved surfaces a variance could be requested from the city.
In Harlan Thurston's own Words
Pictured at left is the first page in chapter one of Harlan Thurston's "Life in Anoka - 1900" series of articles he wrote for the Anoka County Union starting in January 1972. Harlan was over 80 years old when he wrote these articles.
Harlan was one of the sons of Fred W. Thurston, the owner of Thurston Furniture store and funeral home at the turn of the century.
The articles he wrote explain the Thurston familes life in the 546 East Main St. property along with his memories of the Anoka area at the time.
The booklet reprinting these article will be given to the new home owner. We also have the original blue print drawings that were printed on cloth paper. While these drawings are nearly faded over time it still brings to life the historical value of this property.
Heritage Preservation Award
As owners of the home and of Portrait Gallery we received the Heritage Presevation Award for maintaining the 546 East Main property in pristine and historical shape.
While the property could have been listed in the Historical register we elected to not enroll the property as it would significantly limit what could be done with the property.
As business owners of Portrait Gallery we did not want to be limited as what we could or could not do.
The 546 East Main St. property has NO limitations on it as what can be done to the home or to the property itself. As we sell the property I am sure the new owners will appreciate the opportunity to turn the site into something that will benefit them and their business or personal preferences.
Now and Then Photos of the Home
The black and white photograph was the house when Steven Larson purchased the property for his portrait studio in May of 1980.
The middle color photograph is the house in the fall of 2011 when we decided to close the photograph business and just make it our personal residence. The upstairs front window was closed off in 1980 to allow for our Portrait Gallery signage. The structural framework for the window still exists behind the siding and behind the interior sheetrock. This could be reopened and a new window installed if the new owners would so desire.
The lower color photograph is how the property looks as of 2025 when we are selling the home. The main difference is we removed th Portrait Gallery sign as we are no longer in the photography business.
We have upgraded and maintained the property all along the 45 years that we have owned the home.
We trust that the new owners will modify the home to their liking, but we hope that they will maintain some of the character and historical value of the property.
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