This gorgeous Second Empire style home in Hastings was built for William Thompson in 1880. Thompson served as vice-president of the German American Bank in Hastings, co-owned a sawmill, operated a door and sash factory, and owned several acres of farmland in Dakota County. His connections with woodworkers at his door and sash factory was reflected in the exquisite woodwork throughout the interior of the house. Outside, an ornate mansard roof with scalloped wood shingles towers above its red brick walls. In 1929, Dr. Herman Fasbender, Sr. purchased the home and remodeled it to use as a new location of St. Raphael Hospital. After the new Regina Memorial Hospital opened in Hastings in 1953, St. Raphael’s closed and the building was converted into apartments.

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The mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and in 1979, Pam and Dick Thorsen purchased the home and converted it into one of the most popular bed and breakfasts in the state. The Thorsen’s completed extensive renovations in 2008 in the mansion that turned the bed and breakfast into Thorwood vacation/corporate condo rentals. Sadly, a fire damaged the building in December 2017. Pam and Dick are now looking for someone to purchase the property (MLS# 5267657) and carry the historic property forward. It’s a wonderful opportunity to own a piece of history in a town that is revitalizing their historic downtown and riverfront–just a few blocks from this property.

UPDATES

2019: Property sold to a development company that hopes to restore the building.
2021: The property remains vacant, open to the elements, and deteriorating.