History
Anyone know anything about this?
There’s an ad in today’s paper about a “salvage stone sale” this weekend on Park Point, at 3101 Minnesota Ave.
The ad refers to a Web site. The site says:
“Own a piece of history: Brownstone, limestone, slate, marble, granite… An incredible collection of historic building elements including benches, capitals, finials, etc.”
Does anyone know if someone is pulling apart an old house out there? Is this someone’s collection of garden decorations? Just a vacant lot these sellers had access to? Are these things from old buildings here in Duluth?
Stories from Emerson School Apartments
The “Beloved Character” thread made me curious about people’s experiences at Emerson School. Any stories?
(+trivia question: What best-selling author went to school at Emerson as a boy?)
From the Ripsaw Archive | June 1999
Ten years ago, cartoonist Israel Malachi poked fun at Duluth City Councilor Marcia Hales for pushing an ordinance that made it a ticketable offense to play a car stereo loud enough to be heard 50 feet away. (more…)
Oldschool.
Bain News Service photo c. 1913
Pretty sporty. Reminiscent of Soviet combat snowmobiles in basic concept.
Who, what, when, where, why and Howard
I have some questions about various “Howards” in the Duluth area, and I’m hoping someone on PDD can provide the answers:
1. What is/was the “Old Howard Mill” referred to in Old Howard Mill Road?
2. Why does Old Howard Mill Road have two parts so far apart (see Google map excerpt above)? One segment is north of Glenwood Street, and the other is across the Northland Country Club and a bit farther, in what would be… the Congdon neighborhood? Hunters Park? Not quite sure. In any case, why the gap? They don’t even seem to line up.
3. Howard Gnesen Road: It goes up to Gnesen Township, so that half makes sense (Gnesen Township was named for a city in Poland, by the way). But what does the Howard refer to? Is there a connection to the Old Howard Mill?
I think that exhausts my Howard question file. Can anyone out there provide some info?
The oldest sidewalk in Duluth?
A couple years ago I was out for a walk and noticed this section of sidewalk at the corner of Grand View Avenue and 17th Avenue East. I liked the nice touch of stamping the street name in the sidewalk, and I was impressed at the “1926” date – meaning this concrete had survived (with a crack, but still survived) more than 80 cold winters, hot summers and annual freeze-and-thaw cycles in Duluth. (more…)
For your consideration…
Just want to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the “mystery barrels”. The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa out of Bayfield, WI have secured over $1 million from the Department of Defense to remove about 70 of the barrels for testing. PDF here of the 2008 MN DOH “Health Consultation” regarding the barrels. Link here to Nukewatch’s compendium on barrel research including a full collection of local news releases on the subject.
Please share this info with friends and neighbors.
The climate of Duluth, circa 1914
I don’t know if anyone has ever seen/read this or not (I imagine there might be a copy at one of our libraries), but I stumbled on it on archive.org:
https://www.archive.org/details/climateofduluthm00richrich
note the pre-lift bridge on the cover, plus there’s a few other neat old photos inside, plus some interesting reading, and some interesting old data…
Homegrown Tags
So Homegrown has begun, and you kids and your crazy cameras will undoubtedly be shooting everything in sight and posting the photos to Flickr. By the power vested in me by being the person who’s declared it without authority in the past (though it seemed to work — 2007 slideshow | 2008 slideshow) I declare the official Homegrown Flickr tag to be homegrownmusicfestival2009. If everyone simply tags their photos, we’ll be able to easily find cool shots of all the stuff we missed. I’ll post a slideshow here on PDD on Sunday so we can all recall the memories.
But the question that’s up for grabs is: What will the official Homegrown Twitter hash-tag be? #duluthhomegrown? #homegrownduluth? Simply #homegrown? Something else? Discuss.
One more thing: I stole this photo from Rich Narum. He’s a kickass photographer.
One of the first shopping malls in the United States — Lake View Store in Morgan Park
Lake View Store – Morgan Park – Duluth, MN
Minnesota has had a long history of firsts for shopping malls. It must be the long, cold winters keeping us on the forefront of the indoor shopping experience. Duluth’s Morgan Park Lake View Store being noted as one of the first indoor malls, Southdale Mall in Edina the first post-war enclosed mall and, of course, the Mall of America the United States’ largest and most visited mall in the world.
The Lake View Store in Morgan Park was built in 1915 and had two levels and a basement. There was a butcher shop, clothing, hardware, furniture, a pharmacy and a department store with groceries, and a general store. The top floor had a bank, dentist office, barber shop, hair salon, hat shop, billiard room and auditorium. The basement had an ice-making plant which made eight tons of ice per day for the mall and for Morgan Park residents and a shoe store. Wiki has more info.
Images courtesy of Wolfsonian – Florida International University
Got an opinion on the Old Jail?
Tonight is your last chance to make your voice heard to those who will make the decision: the Duluth City Council.
The Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission has denied a permit to St. Louis County to demolish the Jail, which is protected from demolition under Duluth law as a landmark building. The County is appealing this decision, and the only way for the Council to overturn it is to essentially break Duluth law, which would establish a precedent that puts all of our historic assets at risk.
The appeal is on tonight’s City Council agenda. If you have something to say about the building’s demolition (on either side of the issue), you get three minutes to make your point.
I am biased to the Jail’s preservation (I write and publish Duluth history books and sit on the HPC), so I also encourage those who don’t wish to speak but who want to see the Jail saved simply show up to show support.
You can learn more about the issue in a letter to the Editor in today’s DNT penned by Richard Moe, a Duluth native and the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation: https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/118713/.
Duluth’s Piper Building
Mysterious Surveyor Type Outside Piper Building
When I was growing up my mom used to take us to the St. Vincent DePaul store in this building, next to our church, Sacred Heart, which was still a place of worship in those days. (more…)
From the Photo Archive | 1979
Thirty years ago, Bud James was one of the custodians at Laura MacArthur Elementary School. All the kids loved him.
Because I was so young then, my memory of Mr. James is fuzzy. What I do remember is that he used to sing all the time, whether it was at assemblies or just randomly in the halls while cleaning up puke. I don’t remember if he was good at singing, or if he was just a ham, but it was great either way.
Every kid should grow up with a singing janitor. Thank you, Mr. James.
Great Music Saturday at Beaners
This Saturday two of my favorite musicians, Danny Schmidt and John Hermanson (of Storyhill, Alva Star, and The Hopefuls), will be playing in the round with third artist Chris O’Brien at Beaner’s Central.
Go check them out; pack the place!
Cost: $15 (for three FANTASTIC musicians)
Showtime: 8pm
5 bedroom, 3 bath, view of bocce courts
Several years ago I took my kids to the playground at Wheeler Field. We went into the clubhouse for a bit, and I read the signs that explain the history of the place and the Wheeler family. We went back outside, and I got into a time-traveling kind of mood, imagining moving away from the places I know for this vast wilderness, running a pioneer’s household without the help of other women, giving birth to babies here. This mind trip was made easier by looking at the huge, wooded hill behind us. “This is what it would have looked like to her, too,” I imagined.
But that’s not the case anymore. I was there on Tuesday, and saw this house being built. It’s too late for me to take a “before” picture, but I looked it up on google maps. I can’t see where the road to the house would be, but I guess it’s connected to Skyline.
I don’t usually feel like development is bad. My house is on developed land, right? Who am I to tell someone else they can’t have a house, too? But being witness to the first sticking-out-like-a-thumb house on this hill makes me sad. I suppose by the time my kids are grown, the hill will be full of houses.
Happy 100th, West Duluth Masonic Temple
Euclid Masonic Lodge 198 was dedicated on March 31, 1909. State Grand Master Eugene Swan presided over the services. About 800 people attended.
One hundred years later, it appears vacant and up for sale. The location is 611 N. Central Ave. (more…)
Classic Duluth TV: Mr. Toot and Captain Q
For your enjoyment, clips of the Mr. Toot and Captain Q kids’ shows from — I’m guessing — the early 1960s on what was then WDSM, now KBJR.
Best parts: The starstruck kids introducing themselves to Mr. Toot at the beginning (Peggy, we heard you already!), and Captain Q’s parrot (Angus Mc—–?) helping him pitch Arrowhead milk.
Thanks to YouTube user NorthlandSports, who has posted a number of other vintage Duluth TV clips, including the 1975 KBJR newscast that was featured a few weeks back on the Attic.
The Fabulous 1990 Ford Taurus LX
After many years of semi-reliable service, this luxurious family sedan is ready for a new owner. That’s right, the car made famous by this PDD post and this PDD post, can now be yours for the unbelievable price of, oh, let’s say $200. (more…)
Duluth 1865
Click on the map for more!
Duluth Arrowhead Volleyball Tourney
This year was the 52nd annual Duluth Arrowhead Volleyball Tournament sponsored by Grandma’s on March 21st. This years pool of 92 teams was one of the largest in the long history of the tourney and was played at UMD, CSS, Esko HS and Marshall HS. Special thanks to the Minnesota Volleyball Association for putting together this great tourney! Learn more about the MVA here: www.mnvba.com
2009 Duluth Arrowhead Results
| Men’s AA 1st – Omega Force 2nd – Silverbacks Men’s A Men’s BB Men’s B |
Women’s AA 1st – Cool 2nd – Recovering Boozers Women’s HA Women’ s LA Women’s BB |
Congratulations to all these teams!
Ian Gillan Band – “Clear Air Turbulence”
“Get in to Duluth!”
Thanks to Dan for the hot tip, related to the “Songs with Duluth in the lyrics or title” post.
Have we no modesty?
The Garrison Keiller in me thinks it should be “The Above Average Seal of the State of Minnesota.”
Can the Old County Jail be saved?
Folks, as you may know, the county has long wanted to tear down the historic St. Louis County Courthouse to create parking spaces. They are now pushing forward with those plans.
The jail is part of Duluth’s Civic Center, Duluth’s one-stop shop for some very impressive Classical/ Renaissance architecture. The center includes the St. Louis County Courthouse, Duluth City Hall, and the U.S. Federal Building-as well as the county jail, the Cass Gilbert-designed Soldiers & Sailors Monument (Fortitude Defending the Flag), and a fountain. The courthouse, which went up in 1909, was designed by famed architect Daniel H. Burnham, who among other accomplishments oversaw the entire design of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Abraham Olstead and William J. Sullivan designed the 1923 county jail, but did so in a manner in keeping with Burnham’s original idea and under Burnham’s direction. The gray granite building includes features such as Doric columns and lions heads. The jail is adorned with symbols of justice, including Roman fasces (a bundle of birch rods wrapped around an axe).
(The whole complex was part of the “City Beautiful” movement, a progressive reform movement of architecture and urban planning popular in the late 1890s and early twentieth century-it was thought that a beautiful city would create moral and civic virtue, people would behave, and the lives of inner-city poor would improve.)
The building is on the National Register of Historic Place and has been designated a Duluth Landmark property. Twice it has appeared on the Minnesota Historic Preservation Office’s “Ten Most Endangered Buildings” list.
Contrary to popular belief, the building can be successfully adapted for reuse, though it would be an expensive venture the county can’t afford. I know not everyone cares about saving our old buildings–and there are valid reasons the county has no more interest in maintaining the building. But to many like me, buildings such as the jail reflect our social and cultural heritage, and an effort should be made to at least attempt to sell the building to a party willing to invest in it–at the very least, demolition should only be discussed when all other options have been exhausted. They have not.
Technically, since the building has landmark status, the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission (disclaimer: I sit on this commission) can do little else but deny any work on the building that does not meet it’s plan for renovation, and demolition does not fit the plan. Technically, the City Council can override the HPC, but only if the work on the building fits the Secretary of Interior’s standards for preservation projects, and again demolition does not fit such plans. But that does not mean it won’t happen.
If the future of this building matters to you and you want your voice heard on this issue, there will be a public hearing before the HPC at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24 in the City Council Chambers in City Hall where you can speak your mind. Please attend.
And if you have some time tomorrow, at 2 p.m. folks are gathering at the Jail to show their support for the building. Please come.