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Gone, and forgotten. This city chews itself up every generation, but the last thirty years have remade the city into something barely recognizable today. The scene above, for example - a rainy day on newspaper row - has completely vanished. The stores, the hotels, the cafes - all gone.
It's hard not to look at these pictures and conclude that there'd been a war, and that we lost. Part of the problem was urban renewal, which scoured the city in the late 50s and 60s; what wasn't lost then was knocked to rubble during the boom of the last two decades.
This site has been up for almost ten years, and to celebrate its anniversary everything is being rescanned and redesigned. I appreciate your patience while the site is retooled for its second decade.
--Lileks 04.15.08
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Oneida Block
Long demolished, this building suffered an unusual fate in its last years, as you'll see. (Updated 08)
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Boston Block
A big stolid beast. Contains close-ups and floorplans. (Updated 08)
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National Building
Even when they built them without any special attention to details, the buildings still had a charm you don't find today. (Updated 08)
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Temple Court
Before E. Townsend Mix built the famed Metropolitan Building, he did this one. (Updated 08)
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Loeb Arcade
Peculiar shopping building from the 20s. And we think we the modern era invented the downtown shopping court: hah! (Updated 08)
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The Globe
Both Minneapolis and St. Paul had this building. Twins? Seperated at birth? Well, of course not. (Updated 08)
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Metropolitan Building
The building whose demolition started Minneapolias' preservation movement. Fat lot of good it did the Met, though. (Coming soon.)
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Bank of Minneapolis
The first skyscraper in the city. And the state. And perhaps the Midwest. (Updated 08)
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Builders Exchange
Crazy top above, Canadians below. NEW June 08 |
Kasota and Northwestern
Did they lower the street, or raise the building? Big Al ain't saying. NEW July 08 |
Phoenix Building
Did they lower the street, or raise the building? Big Al ain't saying. NEW February 09 |
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Main Hotel Index
This subindex will take you to all the hotel sites. Start here. This isn't just a few pages - this subsite is huge, so reserve some time. Completely redone in 2009. |
The West
The first grand hotel of young Minneapolis.
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Nicollet
The great dream of the 1920s. Includes an illustration of the original design, old postcards, matchbooks and - NEW! - genuine plastic-wrapped towels.
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Radisson
It's now a chain that stretches around the world - but first there was a big blunt block of rooms on 7th st. |
Curtis
One of the biggest convention hotels. Includes cheesecake. |
Leamington
The other big convention hotel - just as bland but with much prettier postcards. This site is huge |
Andrews
Four stories, then more, then gone. |
Dyckman
Or, the Hotel of Lies - never have postcards been at such variance with the truth. |
Sheridan
Where the actors stayed. |
Ritz
The Gateway district's money-pit. Updated with demolition and lobby photos. |
Vendome
Minneapolis' Million Dollar Hotel! |
Misc. Hotels
Various pictures of various places. |
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Introduction
Overview of the Gateway Reconstruction Project. |
Bridge Square
For years, the entrance to Minneapolis. (Provided you came across a certain bridge.) |
Gateway Park
The Beaux-Arts Visitor's Center. |
Washington Av
Skid Town, Alky Row. If they hadn't torn it down, it would have been the boho district for Minneapolis. We really screwed this one up. |
Casablanca Bar
Murder! Murder most . . . messy, really. |
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The Minnesota
The unparalleled palace of the 20s.(Updated 2008) |
The Forum
It was the Saxe . . .then the Strand . . .then it was lunch. And supper. (Updated 2008)
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The Gopher
Now THIS is a marquee. (Updated 2008) |
The Palace
Sumptuous lobby, and more. |
The Century
Postwar Cinerama moviehouse. (Updated 2008) |
The Shubert / Academy
It's a "moving" experience. Hah! (Updated 2008) |
The World
Ultra-modern. (Updated 2008) |
The Lyceum
Orchestras played here. Big ones. (new 2008) |
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Nicollet in the early years
Period photos, closeups, postcards, then & now views, newspaper ads. (Coming eventually) |
Donaldson's Glass Block
Once the grandest department store downtown. Contains postcards, old photos, ads, etc. |
The Syndicate Block
It stood for nearly a hundred years, even if it spent the last 25 hiding from everyone. Many postcards, photos, etc. |
Powers
It was one of the better department stores. Unfortunately, it was one of the smaller ones, too. Coming Eventually. |
Woolworth's
A gorgeous old Moderne building - one of the few buildings erected downtown during the Depression. (Updated 2008)
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