The Grimm family acquired this property in 1857 and first lived in a small log cabin before building the brick farmhouse around 1875 as a symbol of their success in establishing new lives in America. Constructed primarily of regionally significant Chaska Brick, known for its buff or cream coloring, the house reflected a building material that had become widely used throughout the Twin Cities region after Chaska, Minnesota, became well known for its brick-making industry by the late 1860s. When the Park District acquired the property in 1962, the brick farmhouse was the only structure that remained from Wendelin Grimm's time, and in 1994 the house underwent an extensive restoration to return it to its original 1875 appearance.