The History of the Parade of Homes

1948: Six builders collaborate on a Trend Home in Edina drawing crowds and setting the stage for the success of our Parade of Homes, scattered-site home tours.

1950: The first scattered site Parade of Homes is held by the Minneapolis Builders Association with 10 model homes from 10 builders.

1950s: The Parade of Homes continues to grow in popularity. The St. Paul Area Builders Association starts their own tour.

GIs back from the war were ready to find homes and start their families which made the Parade of Homes a valuable shopping opportunity.

The Queen of Homes royal court represented the annual Parade of Homes, now held in both Minneapolis and St. Paul.

1973: Parade of Homes celebrates 25 successful years and is proud to have grown to nearly 100 homes.

1984: The first official Parade of Homes logo was introduced with custom chrome-look lettering.

1995: Parade of Homes logo was updated for a fresh ’90s look.

1996: The BATC Foundation Dream Home program began with two exclusive high-end homes selected as fundraisers for the charitable arm of BATC, the Builders Outreach Foundation (today you know them as the Housing First Minnesota Foundation), collecting $5 entry fees and helping raise dollars to support their work building and remodeling homes for families in need.

1996: ParadeofHomes.org created an online digital tour guide.

The first official Parade of of into

1998: Parade of Homes celebrated 50 years with a commemorative logo.

2000: The Remodelers Showcase was folded into the Parade of Homes family, becoming the Parade of Homes Remodelers Showcase.

2006: Parade of Homes fall showcase hits a record of 1,259 homes in one event.

2011: The Green Path Energy Tour became a special section during every Parade of Homes tour to provide families an easy and independently verified way to identify energyefficient new homes.

2014: The Artisan Home Tour by Parade of Homes was launched, adding a curated high-end, ticketed tour of exclusive new and remodeled homes every June.

2023: The Parade of Homes celebrates 75 years of showcasing new and remodeled homes, builders, remodelers, and home products and services to area families.

Minneapolis Tribune writer Harvey Ingram noted that, “there was no stinting the construction and furnishings of the home. It could have been built much more cheaply but instead it emphasizes the best possible quality of everything.”

The Trend Home set the stage for the Parade of Homes. In 1950 the Minneapolis Builders Association launched the first scattered-site Parade of Homes with 10 homes from 10 builders. According to the Star Tribune, families were waiting at the doors of the first Parade Homes long before the doors opened.

“Throughout the afternoon, builders watched the crowds, bug eyed in disbelief. Never in their wildest dreams had they believed people would turn out in such force,” noted the Star Tribune.

By the 1950s both the Minneapolis Builders Association and St. Paul Area Builders Associations had formed Parade of Homes events and the newest style of home promotions was up and running.

We Built This City

Today, the Twin Cities Parade of Homes remains the premier home tour event in the country and an integral part of our community. The success of the Parade of Homes helped shape how the Twin Cities look today.