Author: Dan Marshall

Dan Marshall

Pronouns: he/him

Dan Marshall lives in Hamline-Midway, is the father of four kids, owns a retail shop in Saint Paul with his wife and daughter, bikes all around town, and holds a history degree from the U of M. He aspires to create mildly interesting local content for Streets.mn readers. @DanMarStP

Yellow pole bollards protecting TCF Bank on Lexington Avenue in Saint Paul. March 20, 2019. Author photo.

Great Big Bollards: A Manifesto

Dan Marshall • May 3, 2024

What the world needs now is bollards. Great Big Bollards. Everywhere.

Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. June 18, 2023. Photo by Dan Marshall

Amazon in the Bike Lane

Dan Marshall • October 9, 2023

MSP bike lanes are routinely blocked by Amazon delivery trucks. The solution is empowering workers to improve safety and working conditions.

Lies Cast in Bronze: A Tour of Twin Cities Historical Markers

Dan Marshall • September 25, 2023

Historical markers may seem like trustworthy narrators of the past, but in truth, they are only outdated maps that reflect all the biases and motivations of the people who paid to erect them.

Creative Kidstuff going out of business sale

Upzoning Is the Only Way to Save Grand Avenue

Dan Marshall • April 19, 2023

It’s time to repeal the East Grand Avenue Overlay District, a failed zoning policy that is killing Grand Avenue — once a vibrant shopping and dining district.

A rare idyllic car-free moment on Summit Avenue

Ten Pictures for a Safer Summit

Dan Marshall • April 12, 2023

A variety of writers have written thousands of words in support of St. Paul’s plan for protected bike lanes on Summit Avenue. Here, in 10 pictures, is a closing argument.

Bike on a pedestrian bridge above I94 during the January 3, 2023 snowstorm

Cycling the City in a Snowstorm: A Few Tips and Tricks

Dan Marshall • January 16, 2023

Here in the midst of #31DaysOfWinterBiking, winter bicycle commuters will tell you that biking through a snowstorm is icy, slow and treacherous, but it may be the most fun you can have on a bike.

Playing at the base of the falls, August 2018.

Hidden Falls, Hidden No More

Dan Marshall • August 17, 2022

This month, with the opening of a new tunnel and walkway under MRB, a new viewing platform, and the partial daylighting of Hidden Falls Creek, Hidden Falls is ready to be discovered by many more visitors.

Quarry Island as seen from the WPA Overlook in Mendota Heights

A Visit to Quarry Island

Dan Marshall • June 2, 2022

Quarry Island lies in the middle of Gun Club Lake in Mendota Heights, just north of the 494 bridge and beneath the roar of MSP Airport runways.

Omaha Road Bridge Number 15 in Lilydale

A Bicycle Tour of Twin Cities Lift and Swing Bridges

Dan Marshall • November 19, 2021

From the beginning, the key to coexistence of rail and river traffic has been a half dozen movable swing and lift bridges. Unlike Duluth’s and Stillwater’s lift bridges, many Twin Cities lift and swing bridges operate in underappreciated obscurity. Let’s take a bicycle tour!

Concrete support pillars are among dozens of remains scattered throughout the Gopher Ordinance Works, a WWII munitions factory in Rosemount.

Embracing Ruins as Historic Preservation

Dan Marshall • June 10, 2021

We tend to ignore ruins or look at them as failures, awaiting either a visionary creative reuse or the wrecking ball. What if we preserved them as they are instead?