Reflecting on the Refectory

In 1930 a new shelter, restrooms  and refectory were built on the northeastern corner  of the lake formally known as Calhoun. A couple years later, the  Works Progress Administration built some lovely shore protection walls along portions of the eastern shore. I think it was about 1938 that three fishermen sitting along the wall were … Read more

Minnesota College Grows

Institution Has Been A Success Since Its Inception in 1904   One of the growing institutions of learning in the Northwest is Minnesota college at Harvard and Delaware in Minneapolis. The college is owned and controlled by the Minnesota conference of the Swedish Lutheran Church and represents a large constituency. The college was organized Oct. … Read more

Moving the Stevens House

The story of the Stevens house reminds me of Virginia Lee Burton’s book,  The Little House that was based the story her own little house which she had moved from a busy city street into a field of daisies with apple trees growing all around. The removal of the old Stevens house from 16th Avenue … Read more

Hello Hiawatha Towers

The Minneapolis Housing Authority built these three slightly hexagonal, twelve story towers for a little over two and a half million dollars. The project contains 285 low-rent housing units for the elderly. The buildings, located on 22nd street, between 16th and 18th Avenues South were completed in 1963. The Hiawatha Towers were the final buildings … Read more

The Queen of Commission Row

In the late 1800s and the early decades of the last century, produce passed through a corner of the old Minneapolis Warehouse District called Commission Row. The heart of the bustling business of farmers and grocers,  the Central Market was just behind the Butker Brothers Warehouse, where 2nd Avenue North crossed 6th Street. There was … Read more

The Witch’s Hat

The good old the Prospect Park Water Tower, better known as the “Witch’s Hat” has been a Minneapolis landmark for over 100 years. The dedication was held back in July of 1914. The park was strung with electric lights for the event. Mayor Nye, members of the city council and other officials were the guests … Read more

The Venerable Vendome

Hotel Vendome Nos. 17, 19 and 21 South Fourth street, for ten years one of the principal hostelries in Minneapolis which was partially destroyed by fire February 7, 1902 has been reconstructed and is again contacting it thriving business. The building now Hotel Vendome was first designed for offices and has been considered the handsomest … Read more

The Marshall Avenue Bridge

The current Marshall Avenue Bridge replaced an old wrought-iron span erected for horse and buggy traffic in 1889. The previous bridge was designed by J.S. Sewall of St. Paul. Built on three stone piers the old bridge had hinges at each end and in the crown of each arch to allow for expansion and contraction … Read more

The Chalet Then and Now

Nine years after the Minneapolis Park Board first considered the idea in their annual report, Glenwood Park’s first golf course was constructed in 1916. The nine holes featured sand greens and clay tees. Play was free and an instructor was on hand to teach people the game. By the end of the season, 12,000 rounds … Read more