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Then & Now: Saint Paul’s Seven Corners
This the Seven Corners area of Saint Paul, running down the hill from the cathedral toward the river and downtown. On the top is an aerial photo taken in 1947 and again by satellite today (click it a...
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Then & Now: Minneapolis’ Loring Park
A few weeks ago, I posted a Then & Now picture of the neighborhood surrounding the Cathedral in downtown Saint Paul. It’s only fitting that we look at the neighborhood surrounding the Basilica in...
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Then & Now: West Broadway and North 3rd St
A pair of street-level images of the same spot in North Minneapolis. The first is courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, c. 1953. The second is the same spot taken last year, by erstwhile...
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Then & Now: St. Anthony Pottery, 808-810 Marshall Northeast, Minneapolis....
Established by Louis Kampff in August of 1857, St. Anthony Pottery was probably the earliest earthenware plant in Minnesota. This building was built in 1860, and was still being used as a residence by...
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Then & Now: Nicollet Island
This is is always interesting. Witness the changes along the Mississippi near Nicollet Island over a sixty-year span… Shorelines, rail yards, island green space, etc. Streets.mn is a non-profit and is...
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Then & Now: Selby and Nina
1904 and 2013 Contrary to popular belief Nina Street is not named for Saint Paul infamous, 19th century madam, Nina Clifford. The street was named by the group of developers that platted Dayton and...
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Then & Now: The Mall of America site
Here are some more pics from the Borchert Aerial Map Archive of the Mall of America site in Bloomington by the Minnesota River. You can see it change from farmland to baseball stadium parking lots to...
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Then & Now: Adolph’s Bar, Robbinsdale (1980/2013)
Opened before World War II, Adolph’s Bar was run by Flo Ann Tauber and was a popular spot on 41st & West Broadway for many years. Unfortunately, the bar burned down on September 15, 1988, and the...
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Then & Now: Unique Piece of Urban History Hidden in Plain Sight
This year, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of America’s first, and essentially its only[1], New-Town-In-Town. It also happens to be in our own backyard, Riverside Plaza. More often...
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Then & Now: Cedar and 5th
More photos from the Borchert Aerial Map Archive at the University of Minnesota, this one a bit closer to the actual archive itself. The West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis fascinates me because you...
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Then & Now: Rice and University
I saw this photo on the MNHS archive a while back and it just floored me. Rice and University look nothing like this today, and indeed haven’t looked this way since they built that big white building...
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Then & Now: Brookdale Mall Site (1967/2013)
I won’t give you a history lesson today on Brookdale Mall, or go on and on about lackluster out of state ownership, or the changes in the socioeconomic status of the area around the mall over the...
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Flashback 1970s: Metrodome Groundbreaking
“Groundbreaking Ceremony,” by Scott Long, 1976 This cartoon, published in the Minneapolis Tribune in 1976, is a reminder of just how long and ugly the battle to build a domed stadium in downtown...
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Then & Now: Saint Paul Ford Plant
The Saint Paul Ford Plant closed for good this year, and is being demolished. I’ve always been fascinated by how recently the Highland area of Saint Paul was platted and developed compared with many...
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Then & Now: 1101 West Broadway
1929 and 2010 Since it was built in 1890 the old building at 1101 West Broadway has been home to a YWCA, a Piggly Wiggly, a Chinese restaurant called the Moy Cafe, a candy store,cigar store, dentists...
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Then & Now: Motoring Through Minnehaha
The Falls motel on Minnehaha and 52nd In 1958 Minnehaha Park expanded after the Minneapolis Park Board acquired 26 acres of old Fort Snelling from the federal government. The board continued to...
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Then & Now: Ayd Mill Road
Ayd Mill valley in 1923 A podcast conversation a few weeks ago made me start wondering what the Ayd Mill valley looked like in the early 20th century. Thanks to the Minnesota Historical Aerial Map...
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Then & Now: Lyndale and Hennepin
As you all know, the city and Hennepin County are re-paving the intersection of Hennepin and Lyndale by Loring Park and the Walker Art Center. A while ago, I did a “Then & Now” on Loring Park....
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Then & Now: Downtown Duluth
I just spent the weekend in Duluth, which is a fascinating city for anyone interested in urban design and Minnesota history. Walking along the riverfront always makes me wonder how to better connect...
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Then & Now: Bicycles Are Back–and Booming! (National Geographic, May 1973)
This edition of Then & Now will be guest posted by Nick Magrino, who is functionally aware of copyright law and would not like to upset the good people at the National Geographic Society. Full...
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