Neil Hiedeman papers

Neil Hiedeman was born in 1947, and grew up on a farm near Breckenridge, Minnesota. He studied French at the University of Minnesota, and art and theater studies at Hamline University. He was drafted and sent to Vietnam where he served Military Intelligence as a foreign language interpreter. Upon returning to Minnesota in 1972, he did window display work for Dayton's in downtown Minneapolis.

In 1978, Hiedeman founded Old House Company and directed its restoration and design work. For his clients, he would do color consulting and decorative painting. He claimed his specialty was Queen Anne architecture since it required a minimum of six colors, but he built up a library on Victorian architecture and painting, as well. Using hand-crafted stencils and hand-tinted paints, Hiedeman took the restoration process as an opportunity to celebrate the architectural elements of a house with color.

His restoration projects have been featured in local news accounts across the state of Minnesota, and his design work has been featured in national books and magazines. Hiedeman, "The Color Man," received several awards of recognition from the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and St. Paul Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the City of St. Paul Mayor Citation for St. Paul neighborhood revitalization.

Neil Hiedeman died August 14, 2006.