The Telephone Building

SHAPELESS masses of stone and iron ore, sleeping beneath the soil of Minnesota, have been raised from their age-old beds to answer the call of engineer, architect and builder .. . men who vision great buildings and make their visions real. Today such a vision is taking form before our eyes, cleancut and symmetrical, as … Read more

The Little Old House in the Alley

In July of ’03 the demolition of a small frame building in Washington Avenue opposite the Milwaukee Road station opened up a view to one of the very oldest houses in the young city of Minneapolis. Erected in 1856 by John H. Spear, the house was hidden from the street for almost 15 years. When … Read more

Avalon Fine Arts Then and Now

There’s been a theater on the northeast corner of Lake and 15th for about 110 years now. The first was a one story wooden structure that was originally going to be called the Cort. In 1911, while the building was still under construction the city inspector said the walls would not do. The place was … Read more

A Powderhorn Pavilion

In 1908 construction  was completed on  a handsome shelter at the southeast end of Powderhorn Lake  fronting 15th Avenue South at East 34th Street. The concrete building had a  steel frame roof covered with tile that projected ten feet over the outside walls. A reinforced concrete floor enclosed a  40 x 100 feet, space all in … Read more

The Star who believed in Santa

Minneapolis today is harboring in motion picture actress who still believes in Santa Claus. And old Chris Kringle may be wary or he will be caught in his act on Christmas Eve when he emerges from the chimney at the home of Miss Margaret Quimby at 4715 Bryant avenue South. For Margaret will catch him … Read more

The Swedish Hospital

After almost twenty years of planning, the Swedish Hospital of Minneapolis was incorporated on January 10th, 1898. The first home for the new institution was a rented, two-story frame house at 1419 South 9th Street. Just three years later, 5,000 people, mostly Swedes, celebrated laying a cornerstone for a new building at 723 10th Avenue … Read more

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