(The photograph above, showing the Metropolitan Opera House and Palace Court, was taken by C.J. Hubbard in 1914, Minnesota Historical Society) Historical and contemporary Minneapolis is not particularly known for its public alleys. They have served a more discreet role in the lives of Minneapolitans, unsung for getting private vehicles off city streets. Of course, […]
Minneapolis has oft been accused of not having done enough to preserve its historic structures, particularly in reference to the loss of the Gateway District, and especially when contrasted with successful efforts to save ornamentally clad buildings in Saint Paul. The jeers have endured decades of evolution or devolution in the Twin Cities, depending upon […]
As the 210-unit Snelling Yards development nears construction, a rare named alley appeared on site plans and city documents, leading the author down a rabbit hole to investigate this anomaly and double down on the need to apply names to even the most mundane public assets.
Following the reprehensible conduct of police in the treatment and death of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, peaceful protests became agitated by subsequent aggression and retaliation by police in riot gear. Some strayed from the initial focus of the peaceful protestors upon the Minneapolis Police Department Third Precinct building, setting fire to neighborhood buildings […]
Join alley aficionado and public art guide Christian Huelsman on a bike ride to look at public art in Minneapolis alleys, all through the neighborhoods of Seward and Longfellow in South Minneapolis. streets.mn is proud to co-sponsor this event with Christian Huelsman, whose peerless passion for alleys will surely be contagious. Here’s some info from […]
Happy New Year! With only a couple of posts last week, your Sunday Summarizer gave herself a holiday break, so here’s what happened on streets.mn for the last 2 weeks: Getting around and where to go Introducing the Saint Paul Field Guide to Public Spaces and introducing a new feature for streets.mn from members of the Political […]
“The alley is the outback world of the unmentionable, if not the unwanted, the displaced of modern society,” ~ Grady Clay, Alleys: a hidden resource Perhaps I will never be considered “from here”, having moved from Cincinnati nearly three years ago. I may not get invitations to house shows or hot dish socials, or share […]
Today I’m bringing you a conversation with Christian Huelsman, a public space preservationist who has, for years, been an advocate for alleys, public spaces, and urban history in Cincinnati Ohio and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Alleys are not always places that get a lot of love in the United States, especially in cities that have a legacy […]
Welcome to April! This is not the April Fool’s edition of the Sunday Summary, but a quick guide to what was really published on streets.mn last week. Saint Paul Candidates for Ward 4: Shirley Erstad on Development in Ward 4 and Community Engagement continues Monica Milsap Rasmussen’s interviews with Ward 4 candidates in advance of the […]
At streets.mn we spend a lot of time talking about roads, rails, sidewalks, and bike lanes. We spend a lot of time talking about cities that aren’t Saint Paul. Instead let’s talk about weird stuff in Saint Paul and its alleys. There’s a lot to appreciate on this back drive. How old are the advertised […]