Lincoln Park Neighborhood / The Friendly West End

Lincoln Park Café opening at former Randy’s location

If all proceeds as planned, Lincoln Park Café could open in the former Randy’s Café location as soon as next week.

Mike Delich said he hopes to have everything in order by then to open the rebranded diner at 2125 W. Superior St. in Duluth. He has owned the building for 35 years and ran the restaurant for 10 years when it was called 21st Delight. (more…)

Opening in June: Corktown Deli and Brews

Jeff Petcoff and Conor Maki - Photo by Lissa Maki

Jeff Petcoff and Conor Maki – Photo by Lissa Maki

Corktown Deli and Brews is busy prepping for an early June opening. The fast-casual eatery in Duluth’s Lincoln Park Craft District is inspired by the iconic sandwich traditions of New York City. (more…)

Lake Superior Brewing takes on cans; brings back Mesabi Red

Lake Superior Brewing is poised to begin distributing its line of craft beers in cans.

“We’re using a mobile canning operation, Lagersmith, that will come and set up right here in our brewery,” the brewery’s co-owner Lisa Blade said in a news release. “Cans are lighter, won’t break and can be crushed for easy pack out — plus, it was a great opportunity to refresh the brand art. The Mesabi Red cans will feature a beautiful laker on Superior.”

The first beers to be in cans will be the brewery’s best seller, Kayak Kölsch, and the return of Mesabi Red Ale, available for the first time in five years.

An event is planned in the brewery’s taproom on May 4 at 4 p.m. where the public can watch the Wild Goose MWC-250 mobile-canning line in action.

Ripped at Horseshoe Billiards in 2006

[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. As construction continues on the new Ursa Minor Brewery at 2415 W. Superior St., this article harkens back to the days when the building was home to a pool hall and drinking establishment called Horseshoe Billiards. The article was originally published in the May 8, 2006 issue of the Transistor.]

I should know better than to expect middle-aged hustlers. I want to hang out with someone like Minnesota Fats tonight, and instead I’m surrounded by a crowd of mostly 25- to 35-year-olds who fall into two categories: 1) Unattractive men. 2) Unattractive women.

Now, I don’t require pretty faces to have a good time. But see, these creeps at Horseshoe Billiards are unattractive for reasons other than what nature dealt them.

There are a lot of men here wearing jerseys who obviously don’t play sports, for example. About half of these guys are wearing hats, and the ones who aren’t should be. (more…)

First look inside the new Bent Paddle tap room

Bent Paddle principals, from left, Pepin Young, Bryon and Karen Tonnis and Colin and Laura Mullen gather around a table featuring a Boundary Waters Canoe Area map inside the new brewery tap room.

Bent Paddle Brewing will open its new tap room in the former Enger Olson Furniture store at 1832 W. Michigan St. on April 12. (more…)

Bent Paddle’s new taproom will open April 12

Bent Paddle will transition from its old taproom at its brewing facility to a new one across the avenue during the month of April. The new space, located in the former Enger & Olson Furniture store building at 1832 W. Michigan St., has been under construction since November. (more…)

Ursa Minor Brewing will stress variety, quality

The Ursa Minor Brewery team includes, from left, General Manager Andrew Scrignoli, Head Brewer Mark Hugus and Chief of Operations Ben Hugus. The brewery plans to hire 10 employees.

The newest brewery in Lincoln Park will feature a patio, a pizza oven and a plan to create adventurous, small-batch beer in a former cracker factory.

Ursa Minor Brewing announced this week it will open a five-barrel brewing operation, tap room and offices at 2415 W. Superior St. Brothers and co-founders Ben and Mark Hugus said they hope to begin serving thirsty customers by mid-summer. (more…)

Ursa Minor Brewing plans summer opening in Duluth

Duluth’s West End neighborhood will soon be home to three breweries. Ursa Minor Brewing expects to open this summer, joining Lake Superior Brewing Company and Bent Paddle Brewing in the burgeoning Lincoln Park Craft District.

The founders of the new brewery are brothers Ben and Mark Hugus. (more…)

Postcard from Bethany Lutheran Church of Duluth

The postcard image above shows Bethany Lutheran Church at 2302-2308 W. Third St. in Duluth’s friendly West End. The image appears to be circa the 1970s, maybe ’60s. (more…)

Boutique hotel opening in Lincoln Park

A small and stylish boutique hotel — the first of its kind in Duluth — is set to open this spring in the Lincoln Park craft district. (more…)

A peek at what Bent Paddle’s new taproom will look like

Bent Paddle Brewing Company plans to relocate its taproom to a larger, revitalized space in the former Enger & Olson Furniture store building at 1832 W. Michigan St. This new location is directly adjacent to its main production brewery and current taproom in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. (more…)

Duluth Pottery is back in Duluth; grand opening Oct. 21

Remodeling of the former P&J Paint building is complete and Karin Kraemer is ready to launch her new Duluth Pottery studio at 1924 W. Superior St.

The shop opens at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. A grand opening reception starts at 5 p.m. with Kraemer’s art on display along with works by Luke Krisak and other friends of Duluth Pottery. Live music by Cousin Dad begins at 8 p.m. (more…)

Coming soon to Lincoln Park: ice cream and pastrami

Two new businesses are setting up in Lincoln Park’s burgeoning craft district. Love Creamery and Corktown Deli and Brews will occupy 1908 and 1906 W. Superior St., respectively.

The building, which now features an adjoining space, is undergoing renovations to separate the businesses. Tom Hanson hopes to open Corktown Deli and Brews by January, while Love Creamery owner Nicole Wilde anticipates a May opening. (more…)

Bubbling up in the craft district: Duluth Kombucha

Duluth’s Lincoln Park craft district has gained another fermented beverage maker. But this one won’t be competing with Bent Paddle and Lake Superior Brewing. Duluth Kombucha set up shop at the Duluth Folk School on Aug. 1. (more…)

Time Travel

Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? Not to brag or anything, but I have figured out a way to time travel. I can usually manage to go back a few decades, maybe a couple hundred years at most. I can’t stay for long, and I’ve yet to taste or actually touch a cup of tea from 1915, despite a fervent desire. I’m more like a traveler passing through, a tourist in a world different than mine, peering in from the side, presuming to understand what is going on around me.

This world can only be reached through research and imagination, and with the determination of a detective piecing together scraps of evidence. It also depends on helpful archivists, online databases and the support of public grant money and fellow dedicated history nerds. The path is sometimes long and slow, a little bit dusty, but sometimes it pulls us along with the thrill of the hunt and a spectacular find, like a full-on glimpse of faces, journals, conversations and the insides of shops. Tracking down history mysteries is an addicting little hobby.

The recent purchase of a 102-year-old building at 1917 W. Superior St. by the Duluth Folk School led to an off-hand request for more information about the building’s history. I found myself drawn into this request, spending free time browsing 1915 online editions of the Duluth Herald from the comfort of my computer desk, no dusty pages required courtesy of public access grants and diligent scanners. The new owners and I knew some facts, and now we wanted to see what that place had looked like when it was built. I had a hunch some pretty good time travel was possible. (more…)

Accordion repair school plans return to Duluth

The world’s largest accordion museum and education center has started plans to restore and reopen a building that served as its home more than a decade ago in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. (more…)

Artist scouting Duluth’s West End for mural location

Paul LaJeunesseCollege of St. Scholastica Assistant Art Professor Paul LaJeunesse was recently selected as the Duluth Art Institutes’s inaugural Lincoln Park Craft District Artist in Residence. LaJeunesse discussed project plans during an Advance Lincoln Park meeting today at the DIA Lincoln Center Arts for Education building. He said he is currently scouting the neighborhood for a mural location. The permanent work will incorporate images of people and places that represent the area. LaJeunesse has created public murals before, including “Confluence” for the North Shore of Chattanooga, Tenn. in 2014.

The aim of the residency program is to support the role of artists as effective community builders and to support and expand the revitalization of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, where the DAI has operated its satellite location for arts education since the early 1990s.

The inaugural year of the residency is scheduled for two terms, with LaJeunesse in residence March to June 2017. A national artist will be selected for the second term, July to September 2017.

Duluth art scene finds place in Lincoln Park craft district

Duluth Pottery co-owners Tom Hollenhorst and Karin Kraemer pose in the loft of their new art studio with partner artist Luke Krisak. Duluth Pottery is remodeling the former P&J Paint building in the West End.

Duluth Pottery co-owners Tom Hollenhorst and Karin Kraemer pose in the loft of their new art studio with partner artist Luke Krisak. Duluth Pottery is remodeling the former P&J Paint building in the West End.

The art world is quickly carving out space for itself in an ambitious neighborhood revitalization project in Duluth’s West End neighborhood.

An established Twin Ports potter, a new gallery and retail store with studio space and an arts arm of an American Indian social service organization have all recently announced plans to renovate and open buildings on West Superior Street. All three projects fall within the boundaries of the Lincoln Park Craft District, a rebranding and redevelopment effort organized by neighborhood businesses last year. (more…)

The Lincoln Tribune – Dec. 17, 1985

Lincoln Tribune 1986-12-17p1

Oh, the random relics that land on the kitchen table at the Perfect Duluth Day Headquarters. We’ve also scanned all 15 interior pages of this issue of Lincoln Park School’s fancy old newsletter, which appear below, but take heed in the warning that it’s pretty dry stuff in general — everything from mazes and recipes to the school lunch menu. One thing of note is page 2, which is a ridiculously long list of items in the lost and found. (more…)

What is this brick pillar in the sidewalk?

West End Thing

The above image landed in my inbox this morning with the following question from a fellow named Ben: “Any idea what this is? It’s on West Superior Street at 17th Avenue West. There’s nothing on it or attached to it.”

Well, it just so happens I have a pretty good idea what it is. (more…)

Carnivores rejoice: OMC Smokehouse opens

OMCCrewFor more than two years, Duluth carnivores have been salivating at the prospect of OMC Smokehouse, Tom Hanson’s new restaurant venture. The wait will be over when OMC opens Wednesday, Feb. 15. (more…)

Duluth MakerSpace in full swing

Duluth MakerSpaceDuluth’s 10,000+ sq. ft. cooperative member workshop is in full swing this month. Duluth MakerSpace offers a different class or event every night in February — everything from welding to electronics to soap making. Wednesday nights are also free demo nights with a different demonstration each week. 

Paid membership is not necessary to take classes or attend demo nights. (more…)

Early Lincoln Park Postcards

lincoln_park_postcard

millers_creek_lincoln_postcard

A couple cards I’ve not seen before. Both are postally unused.

Mystery Photo: Women and Children First

Gust Landin Photography

The back of this postcard credits Gust Landin, a photographer who operated out of 24 N. 21st. Ave. W. in Duluth’s friendly West End neighborhood, with shooting this image.

The main question here is, what’s going on in this century-old photo? Why have a bunch of ladies in dresses lined up with a row of children in front of them at what we can assume is some Duluth location? Who are they? We’ll probably never know for sure. (more…)

The busy, prosperous, West End: E. C. Peterson

Prosperous West End - E C Peterson

This clip from the Feb. 1, 1912 Duluth Herald, highlights that “get together” spirit of the friendly West End. Profiled at right is E. C. Peterson, one of the proprietors of Minnesota Tea Co. (more…)