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The Stroll

The Stroll

The Stroll, penned and drawn by Andy Sturdevant, is a weekly look at the art, architecture, history, and visual culture of the Twin Cities — with each article focused on one geographic area, shown in a hand-drawn map. The Stroll draws readers' attention not only to traditional works of visual art but also to architecture, street art, historic sites, public art, advertising, artists' projects, and events on the streets and sidewalks around town.

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swede hollow ruin

Exploring Swede Hollow, once a neighborhood carved out of the wild

By Andy Sturdevant | 05/15/13

Within this secluded world there was a shantytown immigrant community from the 1850s through the 1950s — first Swedes and Poles, then Italians, then Mexicans.

The Stroll

The Mobile Shanty, a community fixture, leads the May Day way

By Andy Sturdevant | 05/08/13

This float has one of the most storied secret histories of any piece of public art in Minneapolis.

car mural
The Stroll

Murals and signage give Lake & 5th's automotive zone a unique vibe

By Andy Sturdevant | 04/24/13

As with any heavy concentration of subcultures, the Lake Street automotive world brings with it a visual language all of its own.

stair case
The Stroll

St. Paul's stairways offer great views of the river, bluffs and city below

By Andy Sturdevant | 04/17/13

If you need to know where every public stairway in the area is located, you can just spend a little time on online runners’ forums.

stairs photo
The Stroll

Minneapolis' East Bank stairways lead to quiet riverside solitude

By Andy Sturdevant | 04/10/13

Minneapolis' terrain is pretty flat, but there are a few public stairways — notably those leading down to the Mississippi River.

victory memorial
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Victory Memorial Drive, with its remarkable sightlines, is a well-named parkway

By Andy Sturdevant | 04/03/13

One of the most pleasant drives around, it was built in the earliest days of the automobile, just when that mode of transit was beginning to transform the city.

mausoleum
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Cemeteries in winter: St. Mary's and Temple Israel

By Andy Sturdevant | 03/27/13

St. Mary’s was established in 1873 by the Church of Immaculate Conception (later the Basillica), and Temple Israel three years later by the Shaarai Tov congregation.

historic businesses mural
The Stroll

Dinkytown has a clear sense of its history

By Andy Sturdevant | 03/20/13

Within a one block radius around 4th Street and 14th Avenue, I found no fewer than four public markers commemorating aspects of the neighborhood’s history.

main street street sign
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St. Paul's Main St.: A lonely little fragment of a street

By Andy Sturdevant | 03/13/13

Despite the short length of the street, I wondered if I would find any sign of the grandiosity the name suggests.

The Stroll

Skateboarding videos create 'a mental and visual map' of the city

By Andy Sturdevant | 03/06/13

The best surfaces for skating are also the ugliest, most unglamorous parts of the postwar city: parking lots, concrete embankments, garages, ugly brutalist plazas, benches, stairways.

Street scene
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Three short films, years apart, capture slices of Minneapolis street life

By Andy Sturdevant | 02/27/13

I thought this week we’d look at three short films, all shot on 8mm or 16mm film around Minneapolis and now available for free on the Internet.

Mayor R.T. Rybak
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Going preppy: Checking out St. Paul's early-'80s hot spots

By Andy Sturdevant | 02/20/13

I am happy to report that I was not kicked out of the University Club, despite the fact that 1) I am not a member and 2) I went in on a Monday, when the club is closed.

Milwaukee
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'Nearby' Milwaukee feels like a familiar Twin Cities 'relative'

By Andy Sturdevant | 02/13/13

Not a close cousin. Maybe a more distant cousin that shares a vague physical resemblance, but that had a much different upbringing than you and your siblings.

nrthfld
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'Nirthfolde' has an air of authenticity, laced with absurdity

By Andy Sturdevant | 02/06/13

"NRTHFLD: Nirthfolde Visitors’ Bureau" is a show created by David Lefkowitz and musician/designer Doug Bratland, running at the Northfield Artists’ Guild.

Loring greenway map
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Walking Loring Greenway, a safe, attractive example of urban renewal

By Alex Bauman | 01/23/13

Government partnered with private developers to create an appealing pedestrian gateway from Loring Park to downtown.

Before I die mural
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I’ll take the alleys: A look at murals in Philly and the Twin Cities

By Katie Hargrave | 01/16/13

When my Philadelphia friends asked if there were murals in the cities, my response was to gush about the glut of alley murals, painted on detached garages throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul.

broadway pizza trolley
The Stroll

Here there be zombies — and paint and lutefisk

By Bryan Thao Worra | 01/09/13

Start out at Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den on 2nd Street North and you'll find everything from an alternative dance studio to the world’s largest lutefisk factory.

Vikings horn
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How does a Kentuckian become a Minnesota Vikings fan?

By Andy Sturdevant | 01/02/13

This week, for the first time in three years, the Grant-Lombardi Trophy rests among the Vikings paraphernalia at Gerstle’s on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Ky.

hamburg post office
The Stroll

Post offices: Look at them a bit, and the monotony falls away

By Andy Sturdevant | 12/19/12

On a recent weekend afternoon, I took a lengthy walking tour of three stations near Lake Street.

Even in the city, stargazing can be rewarding
The Stroll

The winter sky: Even in the city, stargazing can be rewarding

By Andy Sturdevant | 12/12/12

The skies can be quite clear on good nights, and the darkness and silence reward heavenly contemplation.

Airplanes
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When you hear the roar in south Minneapolis, look up to add color and form

By Andy Sturdevant | 12/05/12

For this column, I am taking our usual examination of the physical and material culture around us and pointing it heavenward.