LUTSEN, Minn. — The enormous loss of the historic Lutsen Lodge is being felt across the state Tuesday.
Cook County officials say a fire alarm was reported at the lodge just before 12:30 a.m. No injuries were reported, but in a Facebook post the Lutsen Lodge says the building is a total loss.
The lodge was the oldest operating resort in Minnesota. Dale Mulfinger knows the historic lodge well. Especially the man who designed it: Edwin Lundie. He wrote a book on Lundie’s work — including the Lutsen Lodge in 1995.
“It’s one of the few, really beautiful public buildings he did,” Mulfinger said.
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As an architect himself, Mulfinger is mourning the loss of the iconic ski resort.
“It was just very saddened by it. It’s hard to imagine it will get rebuilt in the manner it once existed,” he said. “It feels as though it’s a treasure lost to the public but also to me personally. Given my interest in Lundie’s work.”