2541 Nicollet: Unmarked and invisible, it’s nevertheless a musical heritage site
Shortly after Hüsker Dü broke up in the late 1980s, Grant Hart wrote a song about the space, called “2541.”
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.
In sticker art, a universe exists between art for art’s sake and commercial promotion
The current reigning champion in terms of ubiquity is probably Vision the Kid. I counted almost 20 stickers between Lake and 28th Street.
From John Galt to ‘Tankies’: Annotating the Hard Times Café’s bathroom graffiti
Hard Times is a good place to see this sort of thing, because it’s open late and attracts a diverse cross-section of West Bank habitués, many of whom are politically or radically minded.
Finding Fletcher — indeed a fine 19th-century crossroads hamlet
This crossroads is specifically at Fletcher Lane and Territorial Road, not far from the Rogers exit on I-94.
Along sturdy Cedar Avenue, a new cluster of artist space grows
A major commercial street makes room for the gallery scene.
University Grove gems show that modernist architecture isn’t monolithic
As far as being an appealing hook for prospective professors, it absolutely works. It’s one of the most enviable neighborhoods in the Twin Cities.
Checking out Carleton’s Goodsell Observatory — and its fascinating history
The Goodsell today is home to a few academic departments and some distinctly Wes Andersonian classrooms — plus a collection of more than 60 meteorites.
Comparing twin streets in the Twin Cities: Mount Curve and Lincoln
I picked two close by each other — Mount Curve Boulevard/Avenue and Lincoln Avenue — to see what similarities and differences one might find on the street in each city.
Northside’s industrial isthmus: motley factories, wholesalers — and the Port of Minneapolis
For the signage enthusiast looking for beautiful old signwork left to remain in peace after decades, there’s plenty to see.
Purgatory Park: Where else would you find yourself pondering Catholic theology and 19th-century pioneers?
There are a lot of reasons to visit Minnetonka’s very lovely Purgatory Park, but the name is, at least for me, principal among them.
Beige jazz: Mosaics enhance several distinct 1950s-’60s apartment buildings in Minneapolis
The relative wildness of the designs are charmingly offset by the full-on beige concessions to contemporary tastefulness.
Successive waves of immigrants put their stamp on St. Paul’s North End
If you’re born within the sound of the Church of St. Bernard’s bells, you’re a North Ender.
Finding home in the familiar: an immigrant shops for groceries in Minneapolis
When Kenya native Julia Nekessa Opoti goes grocery shopping in Minneapolis, she marvels at the sense of community she finds.
The magic and elegance of elevators in downtown Minneapolis
Take a tour through the historic and beautiful elevators of downtown Minneapolis. Even better if you can bring a toddler.
Retracing Kate Noonan’s path up and down Nicollet on a fateful day in 1877
In what would be considered the “mansion district,” Kate finds what she is looking for. At the corner of Fifth Street she leans against the wrought-iron pole of a gas lamp.
Minneapolis riverfront reveals relics of our subterranean history
Most of the passageways are inaccessible. You can, however, catch a glimpse of these warrens. “Look, but not too closely,” seems to be message.
Revisiting Uptown: Noting a symbolic culture-war peacekeeper — and a wondrous new amenity
Uptown is a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting than it sometimes gets credit for being.
Exploring architecture and business dynamics in South Minneapolis’ ‘dentistry district’
“Even a root canal might be fun amid such architectural delights,” writes author Larry Millett.
Frances Cranmer Greenman: Her art and autobiography depict 20th-century Minneapolis
A portrait artist, columnist and woman-about-town, she was an exceptionally colorful figure in Minneapolis society.
‘Microsotan’ Henry Fonda wore himself out while a U of M student in the ’20s
Fonda spent two years in Minneapolis, studying journalism at the U and working and rooming in a settlement house in North Minneapolis.
