The Gateway

The triangular space bounded by Nicollet, Hennepin and Washington Avenues forming a vista from the Great Northern passenger station, where a majority of the visitors in the city arrive. A portion of the ground is parked, and fronting on Washington Av. is the Gateway Building for the convenience of the public, erected at a cost … Read more

Three More Falling Waters

Before the dirty old men who built Minneapolis had their way with them, the far side of the Mississippi River Gorge was graced by three delicate attractions. Bridal Veil Falls, Fawn’s Leap and the Silver Cascade provided lovely picnic settings and a much needed respite from the cobble stone hustle and bustle of the big … Read more

The Hotel Majestic

In September of 1906 W.S. Dwinnel purchased the newly completed Hulett Block building. The lease was made for ninety-nine years. Exact terms were never announced, but the deal was negotiated by the firm Chase & Scanfeld for W. J. Mc Quaid, a St. Paul grocer who erected the building and owned the ground lease. The … Read more

The Minneapolis Union Depot

In 1879 James J. Hill bought the bankrupt St. Paul and Pacific Railway Company and renamed it the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad. A couple months later, railroads in Saint Paul banded together to build a union station and Minneapolis leaders asked Hill to build a union station on their side of the river. … Read more

The Alden Wins Accolades

The Large Hallways are Heavily Carpeted insuring Quiet, and Lighted by indirect system.UNUSUAL PRECAUTION has been taken to have Heat and Hot Water at all times and in sufficient quantities. Two Sets of Heating Plants run singly or jointly as needed, are ample to care for a much larger building. TWO SIZES OF APARTMENTS CAN … Read more

The Sulphur Vapor-Bath Parlor Then and Now

“Why go to a health resort when you can obtain the same or better results in Minneapolis without loss of time or attention to business. Looking at these interiors views of the Sulphur Vapor-Bath Parlors at 2526 Hennepin Avenue demonstrate our standards of cleanliness. Our baths were awarded a gold medal and international diploma at … Read more

Elevators Every 17 Seconds

When it was completed in 1929, the 27-story Rand Tower was one of the Mill City’s tallest buildings. The deco skyscraper designed by the architectural firm of Holabird and Root was named for World War I flying ace, Rufus R. Rand. The buildings sleek, Moderne ornamentation pays homage to aviation and Rand’s experience in the … Read more

The Twin City Night Owl and a KSTP QSL

QSL cards are used to confirm two-way radio communication between amateur radio stations and signal reception from radio, television or shortwave broadcasters. The term QSL comes from the use three-letter message encodings, known as a brevity or “Q” code. A “Q” message followed by a question mark, like “QSL?” means “do you Can you acknowledge … Read more