Saint Paul’s Municipal Menagerie
In 1873 the city of Saint Paul acquired 300 acres of land around Lake Como for use as a public park. Saint Paul’s experiment with a municipal menagerie began in 1897 when the city fenced pasture in the park to hold a gift of three deer. Como’s Art Deco zoological building was designed in [...]
Calhoun Boulevard and 36th
Originally called by the Dakota “Mde Maka Ska”, which meant White Earth Lake, settlers later named it with the Dakota name “Medoza” or Loon Lake. The United States Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, sent the Army to survey the area that would surround Fort Snelling in 1817. Calhoun had also authorized the construction of [...]
The East Lake Library Then and Now
The first East Lake Library opened in 1924.The little brick library looked like a storefront and was nicknamed the ‘Reading Factory’. The building made good use of its south facing location with a skylight and enormous front windows. In the early seventies, the library board started making plans for a larger branch a couple [...]
Where Men Meet Men
Built at 9th and Lasalle in 1919 the old YMCA building in downtown Minneapolis originally had a low-rise wing to the north which contained the swimming pool. The wing was demolished for the construction of LaSalle Plaza in 1989. The Gothic Revival tower was renovated as 121-unit apartment complex in 1994 and added National Register [...]
Twelve Little Lusty Lustrons
Lustron prefabricated porcelain-enameled steel homes were developed after the Second World War in response to a housing crisis. The low maintenance, vitreous enamel finish was expected to attract returning servicemen and new families who might not have time or interest in repairing and painting conventional wood siding and plaster. In 1947, the Lustron Corporation [...]
