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 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

Rice Park

The scene of circuses, celebrations and concerts and seven years older than New York’s famous Central Park, this land was designated you Public Square in 1849 by John R. Irvine, a territorial pioneer. and Henry M. Rice territorial delegate in United States Senator after statehood. Rice for whom the park was named was native of … Read more

Forward Minneapolis

Minneapolis Offers To the Investor, excellent opportunity to secure real estate at prices which will surely advance with the city’s growth. To the Merchant, a large and increasing market with facilities for supplying it. To the Visitor, good hotel accommodations, and excellent:opportunities for shopping and sightseeing, or for rest and recreation. To the Manufacturer, excellent … Read more

The Calhoun Theater Then and Now

The Calhoun theater, notable among neighborhood theaters of Minneapolis as the largest and best equipped reopened January 29th after being closed for a fortnight for enlargement. The enlarged house seats 1480 and is with a single exception the largest motion picture house in the city, the exception being the New Garrick, one of the downtown … Read more

The Minneapolis Cyclorama

Almost 4 stories high and 400 feet around the Minneapolis Cyclorama was built to display a giant, painted spectacle of the Battle of Atlanta. Construction on the building, located at Fifth and Marquette began in 1885. The huge canvas was the project of German artist, William Wehner, who set out to create a series of … Read more

Illustrating the Housing Problem

The primary question is not “What can the tenant afford?” it is “What can Minneapolis afford ?” If we are to develop in Minneapolis the highest type of civilization, if industry is to thrive permanently, if art and music are to serve their highest purposes, we must first recognize as an essential prerequisite to the … Read more

Brown & Bigelow

Brown & Bigelow was founded in 1896 by Herbert Bigelow and Hirm Brown. Throughout its history, Brown & Bigelow has been a St. Paul resident. In its first 11 years, the firm outgrew three locations and then settled on a 17-acre site that was once the Lexington horse race track in the Hamline-Midway area of … Read more