Laughter, Falling Water and Time
nokohaha 
The Sheridan was built around the corner from the old Minneapolis Auditorium and Lyceum Theater in 1926. The hotel was one of at least six brick courts at the southern edge of downtown. In 1938 one could get a single with a bath of $2.00. Many of these old places became residential in the middle … Read more
Designed by Thori, Alban and Fischer the corner stone for the the First Methodist Episcopal Church was laid on October 15, 1907 and the building was completed in 1910. A dedication booklet noted that the church faced Holly Avenue in a “situation ideal to show its classic and simple architecture, the massive columns of the … Read more
Way back on page 255 of the Moon Handbook for Minneapolis & St. Paul there’s section devoted to the best blogs in the cities. We were so pleased to see ourselves listed there! Here’s what they had to say, Nokohaha www.nokohaha.com: The bloggers behind Nokohaha have a passion for history and for place, regularly pairing … Read more
Did you know the Minneapolis Y.M.C.A. is the most inclusive, comprehensive and democratic club in the city? Do you know it is about the livest, red bloodedest social center in the whole state of Minnesota? Do you know that as a member you are privileged to bowl, play billiards, pool, chess, checkers, handball, basketball, volleyball, … Read more
The Minneapolis Pantages Theater opened as a vaudeville house in 1916. The original, Beaux-Arts style building, designed by the Minneapolis architectural firm of Kees and Colburn was operated by Winnipeg theater tycoon, Alexander Pantages’ entertainment consortia. At the height of his empire, the Greek immigrant owned and operated 84 theaters in the United States and … Read more
Groundbreaking for Southdale took place in 1954. 800 construction workers were used to build the two-story, 800,000 ft shopping mall. When it was completed two years later at a cost of cost twenty million dollars, the mall had 5,200 parking spaces and room for 72 tenants. Southdale was developed by the Dayton’s and their department … Read more
After his amazing Pagoada Pavilion burned to the ground in 1903, The Park Board decided to give architect, Harry W. Jones another try. This time his pavilion was designed in the Classic Revival style. Affectionately known as “The Pavilion”, the facility featured two levels with changing rooms, a restaurant and lower level refreshment stand. There … Read more
Built in 1864, the yellow limestone walls of the Frederick Spangenberg House came from banks of the Mississippi River. The rocks were hauled up on a sled by oxen. Frederick Spangenberg was a German immigrant dairy farmer. His 80-acre farm become the best part of Saint Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood. When August Spanburg died at … Read more
In the late 1880’s, T. B. Walker’s brother-in-law, Andrew B. Robbins gathered a group investors and built the Hubbard Specialty Manufacturing plant in what would become Robbinsdale. The firm made chairs, wheelbarrows, camp furniture, grocery boxes and wooden washing machines. In 1891 Robbins sold the company to Sweatt Manufacturing. A year later, the Robbinsdale building … Read more