Covering life, work, and play in the Historic Mill District and Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront neighborhoods. Have an opinion, local news or events to share? Contact us.
Mill District resident Rick Kittock recently captured this shot from his balcony. You can monitor the current air quality via the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website.
Via an August 4 e-announcement from Mississippi Watershed Management Organization:
Share the River Nordeast on Wednesday, August 18!
Join us for an evening of community, canoeing, and cookies! Stop by anytime between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on August 18 for a free introductory canoe ride on the Mississippi River, then grab a cookie and enjoy a variety of fun and educational activities at our Stormwater Park and Learning Center. This family-friendly event is great for kids and adults of all ages. (Please note that you must weigh at least 30 lbs. in order to fit the provided life jackets.)
In addition to learning to paddle on the river, participants will also have opportunities to learn about the Mississippi River’s history, water quality, plants, animals and more. You’ll also be able to connect with other local organizations about their work in the community for the environment.
Canoe rides will be led by guides from Wilderness Inquiry, with support from National Park Service rangers from the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and Mississippi Park Connection staff.
Parking and Transportation
Attendees are advised to use on-street parking, as the MWMO’s parking lot will be unavailable during the event. Bike parking, a Nice Ride station, and bus transit options are also available in the area.
EaTo is located at 305 Washington Avenue S in the former Eastside space.
An Italian-inspired, fast-casual restaurant with a big family of amenities will be taking over 305 Washington Avenue South in the Mill District neighborhood of Minneapolis, bordered by the Guthrie Theater, US Bank Stadium and downtown, starting with its newly installed stroll-up window and patio opening Friday, August 6.
And speaking of a big family, the group behind the innovative new EaTo concept is Monroe Enterprises, a consortium of hospitality talent headed up by Dennis Monroe and his son, Matthew Monroe, along with the creative contributions of Chef Jamie Malone of Grand Café and Marco Zappia of 3Leche. EaTo is a new hospitality style and the first in a series of collaborations between Monroe Enterprises and various high-powered friends, from fellow restaurateurs to multifaceted creatives to cutting-edge provocateurs.
Pizza PuffEaTo is on its way to becoming the neighborhood restaurant, bar, specialty market, rustic Italian espresso source, intimate space for ticketed dinners and inventive takeaway meals for East Town. The concept was designed to be a welcoming beacon for the neighborhood - a cheerful oasis where a single, couple or group can grab a glass of wine and retreat from the world on the expanded patio, score a unique snack like Pizza Puffs (a flavorful pocket of spill-proof pizza) or a cup of enticingly flavored ices and “cream,” or take away a meal. Whether you enjoy it on the patio, at a nearby park or in your apartment is up to you.
Also on tap is a bottle shop featuring a carefully curated list of intriguing Italian wines by sommelier Scarlett Carrasco. Libations continue with an impressive menu crafted by beverage innovator Marco Zappia of espresso drinks, aperitifs, digestifs and familiar drinks with upgrades, such as a mandarin negroni, a nonalcoholic bitter rosso or an espresso granita.
What’s unique about this new-style eatery is that each component is designed to build upon all the other ones: For instance, a superb bottle of wine can be quickly nabbed for a night at home, a hostess gift or to compliment a hand-cut steak from the meat counter or a takeaway meal. The steaks, accompanied by cooking instructions, will elevate not only the meal, but the home cook.
The knowledgeable and cheerful (don’t we all need that right now?) staff can offer tips on how to combine market items, and how to prepare them once they leave the shop. In addition, simple recipes will be available for the previously hard-to source items from Italy. Sounds elementary, but it’s got the Jamie Malone magic to creating elegant, complex food in a fun, easy-to-master style.
Panzanella Salad
The carefully crafted intent behind the concept is to engage the East Town neighborhood in a compelling dining experience, without the commitment of a full sit-down meal. “When we open up the inside, we want people to stop and chat with us and each other, but to also be able to take away ingredients for meals with no more than five ingredients that they can prepare at home,” Malone said.
In other words, the food meets you where you’re at - deliciously. EaTo will offer hospitality, meaningful interactions and a choice of how you want to spend your time dining.
On the menu are simply prepared pizzas with complex profiles (Taleggio with Rosemary Honey), fried meats (Steak Culotte with Mushroom Cream and Smoked Button Mushrooms), Sandwiches (Mortadella & Fried Chicken with Gruyere), salads and Little Things (side dishes). In addition, Chef Matt Hendrickson will be bringing his culinary flair to house-made sausages and ricotta.
EaTo will open in three phases:
The patio and walk-up window will open for dining August 6.
Indoor dining room and market to roll out during phase II in October.
The meat counter and bottle shop is scheduled for a November timeframe.
Martha Archer, Executive Director of the Mill City Farmers Market, joins Brianna Rose to discuss the upcoming Harvest Social benefit, the main source of funding for the market.
Article by Michael Rainville, Jr.
Long before the Minneapolis Fire Department was established in 1879, volunteer firefighters were in charge of quelling fires. St. Anthony established their volunteer force in 1847, and the west side of the river did the same in 1851. Six years after St. Anthony merged with Minneapolis, the Washburn-Crosby Company A-Mill exploded in 1878, leveling the surrounding area. With the rise of lumber and flour milling and the dangerous consequences of both, the volunteer firefighters on both sides of the river joined forces. Just a year later, the volunteers requested that the City of Minneapolis replace them with paid professionals, and the Minneapolis Fire Department was created, led by Chief Winslow Brackett.
Starting as an on-call force with two horse-drawn steamers, one ladder truck, six hose companies, and seven stations, the new department grew quickly. In the 1880s, Minneapolis expanded by over twenty-two square miles, and the lack of construction standards meant that the fire department had a lot of work on their hands. Mayor Ames and the City Council approved Minneapolis’ first building codes in 1884, which required new buildings to have non-combustible walls, cornices and roofs, and the position of building inspector was also created to ensure compliance.
1925 photo of the shop interior.
Photo taken in 1979 of the 1922 addition.
Throughout the 1880s, the department added ten more stations, twenty-nine more vehicles of various uses, and their own water tower. With all of this equipment, the need for a dedicated space for repairs was obvious. The first shop opened in 1890, was located behind Station 1 in downtown, and consisted of a machine room, blacksmith, woodworking shop, harness shop and hose storage. Even though the city continued to expand and grow in population, the fire department never saw an increase in their funding. An external report completed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters lambasted the City Council for their unacceptable administrative role and recommended the city invest in new stations and facilities.
In 1909, as the City Council worked to provide more funding, Chief James Canterbury paid a $100 down payment on a $6,000 property along First Avenue NE between University and Second Street. As the city began looking for potential sites for a new, much larger repair shop, Chief Canterbury gave his cousin Sarah Guile $200 to offer his newly acquired property to the city for $9,000, or over $260,000 after inflation. This was a problem. Not only did Chief Canterbury expect to make a profit of $8,700, which would have led to firefighters not receiving pay in November and December, but other people of power were also well aware. Many council members, the city attorney, and the chief were all implicated.
Chief Canterbury apologized and resigned. Shortly after, the investigation was complete and found that he took $3,000 from the City of Minneapolis. The City Council told the public the truth about why there was a possibility of no pay for two months, and the firefighters of Minneapolis and the citizens they served were not happy. Once this land speculation scandal had cleared, construction of the new repair shop at 24 University Avenue NE began and was completed in late 1909.
Photo of the shop along University taken in 1936.
The new shop was designed by the local architect firm Downs & Eads and employed twenty-five men permanently assigned to the shop. A year later, another external survey was done and found even more problems with equipment, buildings and staffing than before. The chief at the time, Charles Ringer, ushered in a new era for the fire department, improving and expanding every aspect of the force. The most impactful change was the switch from horse-drawn vehicles to motorized. By 1916, over one-third of the department’s vehicles were now motorized, which saved an estimated $4,600 per rig a year, or over $70,000 after inflation.
1979 photo of a used car business that occupied the former repair shop site.
The repair shop expanded in 1922 to include a designated building to construct motorized vehicles at 222 First Avenue NE. In total, the shop converted forty-eight vehicles from 1910 to 1926. Once Chief Ringer retired in 1933, the shop stopped converting vehicles and was mainly used for repairs until it was closed down in 1960. The site has had various uses since, from a workout gym and used car business, to an event center and restaurants. It was also placed in the National Register for Historic Places in 2005 for its civil architecture and for the role it played in updating and advancing the Minneapolis Fire Department.
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About Michael Rainville, Jr.
A 6th generation Minneapolitan, Michael Rainville, Jr. received his B.A. in History, Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies, and M.A. in Art History from the University of St. Thomas.
Michael is also a lead guide at Mobile Entertainment, LLC, giving Segway, biking, and walking tours of the riverfront for 9+ years.
He can be reached at mrainvillejr@comcast.net.
Via a recent e-announcement from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts:
Open Saturdays
September 18 – October 30
10am–5pm
Click here for a list of all free Saturday activities!
See this moving exhibition in person.
Solastalgia features work by 20 artists responding to climate change with grief and hope.
Drop in at 11am and 2pm for free guided gallery tours!
From papermaking and marbling to letterpress printing and bookbinding, find your creative groove again! In-person workshops and Studio Labs begin Saturdays in October. Scroll down to see what's cooking!
Our work is powered by YOU! Whether you are near or far, you can power the next phase of our reopening as we bring our community back to experience hands-on creativity through the book arts.
In Motion: Using Text & Image in Artist’s Books
* * * See all Workshops * * *
Via a July 30 e-announcement from Gamut Gallery:
Join us for the premiere screening of two international documentary films: Les Invisibles 2.0 by Mina Agossi and A Life in Opera by Jade Patrick. Much like Gamut’s current exhibit Singula curated by Rodrigo Onate, featuring muralists from Mexico, Chicago and Minneapolis - these two films offer global perspectives alongside palpably local arts in action. Hosted by Christopher Shillock and Jade Patrick, the evening will include a Q&A session after the films.
In 2020, French filmmaker Mina Agossi asked artists from around the world to share how the pandemic has impacted them and their arts community. 18 artists working in all disciplines from 9 countries on 5 continents responded, including Gamut Gallery member Christopher Shillock, and Les Invisibles 2.0 is a collection of their reflections. Published poet, multimedia artist and decades long contributor to the Minneapolis art and music scene, Shillock highlights our neighborhood Elliot Park during his part of the film, including Gamut Gallery and the other small businesses here. (53 minutes)
A Life in Opera by local filmmaker and gallerist Jade Patrick celebrates the career of Judith Schubert while exploring the intersection of musical theater and politics. Born in Minneapolis and educated at the University of Minnesota, Judith Schubert made countless sacrifices to pursue a career as a classical singer. Her quest took her to Germany - the modern home of opera - shortly before the fall of the Berlin wall. Soon after she found herself at Theater Plauen-Zwickau in Saxony where she would spend the next three decades dedicated to her profession and the surrounding community. Alongside colleagues young and old, Schubert reflects on her years as leading lady and transition into retirement in this reverent look into the world of opera. (35 min)
Global-Meets-Local Documentary Film Screenings Friday, August 6th - 7pm doors Featuring LES INVISIBLES 2.0 and A LIFE IN OPERA $10 tickets pre-sale required Limited tickets available Popcorn and beverages available
MINA AGOSSI is a French singer-songwriter who has toured the world and was knighted as a Chevalier in the National Order of Merit by the French Government. She has 14 CDs, the latest being a participation with Ahmad Jamal entitled Marseille (2017). Gifted with a supple voice, like many current singers she mixes jazz, rock, hip hop and world music without abandoning her own assertive musical personality. In 2021 Alchimie Productions will be releasing Paris Fantatasie, an album she recorded with the electro group Age 7. Les Invisibles 2.0 is her first documentary film.
CHRISTOPHER SHILLOCK is a poet and activist. With the help of talented friends in the Twin Cities arts community, he has produced work in various media: 3 books of poetry, a stage show, a web-tv show. a poetry/video book with the help of a Jerome Foundation grant and a rock band called Invisible Jazz. He has performed twice in Paris with Mina Agossi.
JADE PATRICK is a photo and video maker, and one of the co-founders of Gamut Gallery. Synergizing her photography and video practice with her experience as a visual arts curator and gallerist, Jade Patrick has focused her lens on artists, performance and music. A Life in Opera is Patrick’s first in-depth documentary project celebrating the career of Judith Schubert.
GALLERY & GIFT SHOP OPEN HOURS:
FREE open hours: Wednesday - Friday, 11am - 6pm; Saturday 11am - 4pm
Gamut Gallery is open without capacity restrictions for in-person viewing of the exhibition. We are available by appointment, please request an appointment 48 hours in advance.
Via an e-announcement from Meet Minnepolis
Enjoy a day in downtown Minneapolis, beginning with networking and socializing on the Upper Lock at the St. Anthony Falls Visitor Center. There will be refreshments from Mpls Coffee Cart, Cardigan Donuts, and Mintahoe Catering & Events.
Thursday, August 12, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
St. Anthony Falls Visitor Center, 1 Portland Ave
* * * Register by August 6th * * *
Don't miss this special morning of networking and exploration on the Mississippi River, featuring tours with National Park Service Rangers, a walk on the lock wall, panoramic views of the falls, and an opportunity to discover the history and impact of the area.
In partnership with mpls downtown council, Mississippi Park Connection, and the National Park Service.
Event Schedule:
10 a.m. Networking + Tours
11 a.m. Words of Welcome
- Melvin Tennant, Meet Minneapolis
- Steve Cramer, mpls downtown council
- Dan Dressler, National Park Service
Parking:
Street Parking: Mill District neighborhood
Lots/Ramps: Stone Arch Bridge Lot, Portland Avenue Ramp, Mill Quarter Ramp
Nice Ride: Bike stations are nearby for ease in transportation
The Shape of Color - Aug 8 to Nov 12
Opening Reception Sunday, August 8 4:00 - 6:00PM
Stonebridge Lofts, 1120 South 2nd Street
Join us at The Mill Yard opening reception for wine, beverages, snacks and beautiful art. Local popular food truck, Taqueria Victor Hugo, will be out front selling a variety of Mexican cuisine. COVID Safety: Masks are welcome but not required for those fully vaccinated. Please mask up if you are not fully vaccinated.
The Mill Yard at Stonebridge Lofts
The Mill City. Residents celebrate our area’s industrial heritage of the mighty Mississippi River and the mills. Today, what we see are the most recognizable Minneapolis landmarks. However, this is only part of the story. Rail lines were key to Minneapolis’ growth, and were particularly integral to the Mill District, bringing in wheat and timber and shipping out flour and lumber. We also honor the history of the mills, the reason for the rail yard’s existence. The Mill Yard aims to be both a gathering place for art and artists and a conduit by which art can be shared with and disseminated into the wider community. Contact: TheMillYard.Stonebridge@gmail.com.
* * * * Featured Artists * * * *
Stephen Capiz
A Minnesota native, Stephen Capiz studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Back in the 1950’s, as a teenager, he was dumpster diving for treasures and found a book on contemporary art. He was immediately hooked and dove into the world of art. Through his decades of painting he has created both realistic and abstract works. He describes his abstract works as kinetic blurs: “impasto with energy.” “My mission is to create paintings and artwork that are representative of motion in both nature and human form. My abstract paintings…are meant to evoke emotion n and a sense of curiosity, while also providing a sense of energy…almost to the point of violence at times.” Stephen’s abstractions draw the viewer into a personal space of interacting with color, space, shape and motion that ignites fascination. A prolific painter, his works can be found in Hilton and Weston Hotels, and Northwestern College as well as in the hands of collectors around the world. Facebook
Jodi Reeb
Moving between two and three-dimensional forms, Jodi Reeb is constructing paintings and sculptures layer by layer. She explores the theme of nature’s cycles using photographs as collage, elevated circular paintings, and constructing organic aluminum sculptures. Her photographic works juxtapose geometry with the softness found in nature. Her colorful circular paintings identify with references to the round shape both an organic and geometric form. The attraction for her is the negative space that the circular paintings evoke through shadow and space. She is recently painting with enamel and encaustic (beeswax and damar resin) on primed aluminum, bending and twisting the metal into organic shapes and forms. She is creating wall sculptures that are elevated off the wall oscillating between painting and sculpture. Jodi’s art has been shown nationally and is in many private collections including Wells Fargo Mortgage, Target Corporation, United Health Group, Hilton Hotels. She has a long list of awards, grants, and residencies. Her studio is at Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art where she not only creates but offers classes. Website, Facebook, Instagram
Neysa Winterer
Neysa Winterer is one of those artists that has tried a little bit of everything from drawing, painting signs, wool sculpture, refurbishing furniture, painting on canvas, watercolor, soft pastels and graphite. All that changed in 2017 when she took a workshop in collage. She had found her perfect medium, little bits of paper. It was a slow process at first starting with small canvases where she experimented and learned what would work best for her. Today she makes detailed and delicate images tearing, cutting, and gluing bits of paper onto wooden substrates. Collecting bits of paper, she has used advertisements, newspaper, vintage sheet music, old mail, used street maps, discarded books…almost any kind of paper she can find! She says you will find her most evenings “working away in her home studio” in Excelsior. November 2020 Neysa had her first big showing entitled “Van Gogh Slept Here.” She recreated master works of Vincent Van Gogh in paper. You will see some of those pieces here. Website, Instagram
T. Young
T. Young’s current work is inspired by the style and compositions of the early to mid-20th century painters working in Hard-Edge, Concrete and Constructivism styles. Working out of her studio in the Northrup King Building, she has recently been creating canvases with vinyl emulsion paint, blending color with shapes and lines that construct story narratives and geometric movement. Although her main medium is acrylic paint, her vast collection includes paintings combined with oil pastels, spray paint, ink, graphite, watercolor, gauche or chalk pastel. A native of Minnesota, she has studied and practiced art using a variety of forms and materials over the past 35 years. “I enjoy a pace of painting that creates clean and simple compositions as I feel this creates a balance in the often messy and complicated times we live in.” Website, Facebook, Instagram
Via a July 26 e-announcement from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board
West River Parkway is scheduled to close to all motorized vehicle traffic between Portland Avenue and 11th Avenue S on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021. The closure is necessary to bring in a crane for repairs to the Mill City Museum.
The parkway will reopen by 4 pm on August 3 to accommodate the high volume of people expected to attend National Night Out festivities.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board appreciates the public's patience during a time when infrastructure repair projects have necessitated many parkway closures. Information on two previously announced closures is below.
13th Avenue S-22nd Avenue S; July 12-mid September, 2021
The parkway is closed to motor vehicle traffic between 13th Avenue S and 22nd Avenue S through mid September, 2021 for the rehabilitation of 10th Avenue SE Bridge by the City of Minneapolis and repairs to Bridge #9 (the bike/pedestrian bridge serving the Dinkytown Greenway) by the University of Minnesota. Trail traffic is rerouted onto the parkway while bridge work continues above the trails. Paradise Charter Cruises is accessible via 22nd Avenue S.
4th Avenue N-Portland Avenue; mid-late August
The parkway and adjacent trails are scheduled to close between 4th Avenue N and Portland Avenue in mid-late August. The closure is necessary for the reconstruction of the 3rd Avenue Bridge by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. More details about this closure will be shared later this summer as the bridge reconstruction project progresses.
Please visit the Hwy 65/3rd Avenue Bridge Reconstruction website for more details.
Thank you to Mill District resident Ric Rosow for submitting these photos of the 2021 Aquatennial fireworks, which were quite spectacular!
Via a recent e-announcment from the Mill City Farmers Market
Via a July 22 Press Release from ICR:
Accesso, a fully integrated investment manager and operator of multi-tenant office buildings and multifamily properties, today unveiled the newly renovated Crystal Court, Minneapolis’ central gathering place at the famed IDS Center. The grand reopening ceremony featured remarks from Mayor Jacob Frey and Steve Cramer, President and CEO of the mpls downtown council; Deb Kolar, General Manager at Accesso, who has been with the IDS Center for nearly 30 years; and Peter Hendee Brown, Acting Principal with consultant New History.
The renovation was thoughtfully designed in collaboration with local architects and consultants Perkins&Will and New History to honor the Crystal Court’s 50-year legacy, while ushering it into a new era of providing Downtown Minneapolis with a destination where people from all walks of life can come together to deepen their connections with the community. The updates, which were completed by general contractor Greiner Construction, include collaborative seating areas with modular furniture and benches designed by Dimensional Innovations; an enhanced grove of overstory trees rising directly through the granite floor to form a tall, healthy canopy of greenery; and a new infinity edge water feature that visually and acoustically fosters a sense of park-like serenity.
Kolar said, “I am truly grateful for the support we’ve received from the Minneapolis community and our partners during the entire renovation process, and I could not be more excited to finally unveil the newly renovated Crystal Court. The Crystal Court is such a special part of Minneapolis’ culture and history, so it was very important to us that the updates made remain authentic to its spirit and original intent. After a very challenging year for our community, we are all thrilled to celebrate the reopening. I look forward to seeing this space full of people again and to introducing exciting new retailers including Noa, a new restaurant that will open this fall.”
Frey said, “The IDS Center is an iconic centerpiece of our skyline and a beacon of the unique energy generated by residents and businesses of Downtown Minneapolis. The reopening of a renovated Crystal Court is emblematic of the many new beginnings taking place across our city. Whether you’re heading downtown to support your favorite restaurant, pick up fresh produce at the Nicollet Farmers Market, or enjoy some spectacular fireworks this Saturday for the Aquatennial, it’s time to come back downtown – we are open for business.”
In addition to the opening remarks, the Crystal Court hosted performances from prominent community artists including pianist Nachito Herrera; the Loring String Quartet, an international ensemble based in the Twin Cities area; chalk art by local artist Shawn McCann; free caricature illustrations; and live interactive art by Juxtaposition Arts – the local youth arts program that designed the murals featured on the temporary walls during the construction process. Further, as a token of gratitude to the greater Minneapolis community for its steadfast support of the Crystal Court over the past 50 years, the IDS Center held random drawings throughout the event with prizes including Minnesota Twins tickets and gift cards to the property’s retailers, restaurants and Hennepin Theatre Trust.
About IDS Center
IDS Center, considered the centerpiece of the downtown Minneapolis skyline and a landmark for business and commerce in the Twin Cities, is a 1.42 million-square-foot, 57-story Class A office tower, urban park and retail center located at the core of the downtown Minneapolis skyway system. It is conveniently located at the core of the skyway system for the Minneapolis Central Business District (CBD) and provides easy access to parking, light rail stations and dedicated bus routes. This distinctive property also includes nearly 2 million square feet of mixed-use space; a two-story retail center; the 19-story, four-diamond Marquette Hotel; and an enclosed eight-story urban park. The Crystal Court has been referred to as “one of America’s best indoor spaces” by the Star Tribune for its vibrant environment and ability to host a wide range of events such as concerts, performances, blood drives, sports broadcasts and other gatherings.
About Accesso
Accesso is a full-service, vertically integrated commercial real estate investment manager, owner and operator that aims to provide superior returns to its U.S. and international individual and institutional investors. Accesso’s focus is on acquiring office and multifamily properties in non-gateway metropolitan statistical areas, representing the fastest growing metropolitan cities and premier suburban submarkets throughout the U.S. Accesso’s property portfolio includes 34 office properties covering 14.5 million square feet, and the company has two ground-up multifamily properties under development. Its affiliate, Accesso Services LLC, provides proactive, cost-efficient property management services with an owner’s mindset. Accesso Partners LLC is headquartered in Hallandale Beach, FL. and has offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis.
About Perkins&Will
Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. Guided by its core values—design excellence, diversity and inclusion, research, resilience, social purpose, sustainability, and well-being—the firm is committed to designing a better, more beautiful world. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture, AIA MN honored the Minneapolis Studio with the 2019 Firm Award, and industry rankings consistently place Perkins&Will among the world’s top design practices. With an international team of more than 2,700 professionals, the firm has over 20 studios worldwide, providing services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Danish architects Schmidt Hammer Lassen; retail strategy and design consultancy Portland; sustainable transportation planning consultancy Nelson\Nygaard; healthcare technology planning firm Genesis; and luxury hospitality design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). For more information, visit www.perkinswill.com.
About New History
New History creates innovative solutions to increase the use and viability of existing and historic sites and structures. The firm offers a dynamic and integrated team of historians and licensed historical architects with nationally recognized expertise, as well as professionals with specialized experience in historic preservation, real estate development, preservation regulations, and the financial framework for reuse. Our distinct services and expertise provides clients with real strategies, exceptional project management, historically and culturally relevant design development, and regulatory guidance to achieve successful outcomes. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, New History works with clients throughout the Upper Mississippi River Corridor and beyond.
About Greiner Construction
Founded by Wolfgang Greiner in 1989, Greiner Construction delivers the gold standard for interior buildouts, expansions, new construction, and building repositioning. As an employee-driven, customer-focused company, Greiner serves clients in commercial workspace, healthcare, legal, financial, industrial, hospitality, education, non-profit, multi-unit residential and other industries. Over the last three decades, Greiner has built millions of square feet of space for local and national clients who understand the value of well-designed, innovative environments that enhance brands, attract, and retain top talent and build culture. Learn more and view the Greiner portfolio at greinerconstruction.com.
Article by Becky Fillinger
Central N.E. opens today at 700 Central Avenue NE. There’s so much to like about this new establishment! We visited with the General Manager, Daniel Martin, Owner, Andy Cohen and server, Rafael, about the vision for the restaurant, supporting other local businesses, and a unique compensation model that benefits both the front and the back of the house employees. The July 20 soft opening was a success and you should add this location to your dining plans – and soon!
Q: What does Central N.E. offer to the Northeast dining scene?
Daniel: We offer something that is not currently here in the Northeast. We offer craft cocktails, mixed with spirits from local distilleries and Minneapolis-American foods designed to be shared. We are not a late-night saloon. There are excellent small businesses here in the neighborhood that offer that service. We’re a comfortable, relaxed restaurant serving communal based foods. We expect our customers will want to visit us several times a week. We have innovative menus - $10 lunch plates, innovative small plates for sharing, Sunday Jazz brunch and a beautiful facility. Social Hour is Wednesday to Friday, 11 AM to 6 PM, with discounted beer, wine and cocktails.
Q: What local distilleries have you partnered with?
Daniel: We are working with Crooked Water Spirits, the first woman-owned distillery in Minneapolis. We use their Apple Brandy in our Northeast cocktail. We also partner with Tattersall and Du Nord Craft Spirits. Tattersall worked with us early on and trained us to design our craft cocktail menu. The cocktail menu has many examples of these three distilleries’ spirits.
Q: Talk to us about the menu and the inspiration for it.
Andy: The menu features foods that are meant to be shared. You may order your food in any order – starting with something like a salad or appetizer or you may jump right to the handheld sandwiches or larger plates. The menus encourage the guest to explore, share, and choose their own dining adventure whether it's during lunch, dinner or brunch. We cook from scratch and we choose to use local ingredients. We know that a traditional three-course meal is very linear – you start with appetizers, then an entrée and then dessert. We designed our menu to be different – you can mix and match your choices, giving the customer and their dining companions a chance to try many new things at one meal. We know that the sharing of food creates a great social situation – it encourages conversation and connections.
Q: Will you have a weekend brunch?
Andy: Yes, it will start this weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 3 PM. We’ll offer $8 bottomless mimosas and a menu with traditional breakfast foods, but also sandwiches and salads. In August, we’ll have Jazz Sundays with live music from 11 AM to 2 PM.
Q: You’re partnering with other local organizations, too. I notice some very colorful and interesting art here – tell us more about it.
Daniel: We are partnering with MPLSART to showcase local artists in our restaurant. Currently, we’re featuring Russ White. The framed art on the walls and the large piece behind the host desk are all by Russ White. Just as it is so important to us to partner with local food and spirits makers, we also believe in partnering with artists. We’re also thinking of holding art shows in our function room. We want to be a trusted and inclusive community member and that means partnering with the community in many different ways.
Above - General Manager, Daniel Martin, stands in front of an art installment by their currently featured local artist Russ White. Below - server Rafael is in front of a giant mural featuring Minneapolis icons.
Q: Talk to us about your service-included, full-service concept.
Rafael: The COVID restaurant shutdown was brutal to restaurant workers, including the back of the house team members. The 20% added as a service charge is shared equally with cooks and dishwashers – something that doesn’t happen in the restaurant industry. I am in favor of the way Central N.E. is handling the service charge.
Daniel: Restaurant service requires a team of people to executive many different roles. In our opinion, the behind-the-scenes team members need to be included in any discussion of compensation. We want to reduce income disparity and provide a more stable income for our workers. And we want to provide customers with the very best hospitality we can offer.
Via a recent e-announcement from Friends of the Hennepin County Library
In his famous advice to writers, William Faulkner said, “Read, read, read...Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it.”
Writers are some of the most voracious readers among us, so it’s no wonder that they’re always getting asked, “What are you reading right now?” Well, if you’ve ever wanted to know what’s on - or, more importantly, off - their reading shelves, the wait is over.
Introducing: Off the Shelf, a series of written interviews where local authors answer your most pressing questions about their writing, their reading, and everything in between. Start by exploring interviews with beloved authors Peter Geye, Diane Wilson, Michael Kleber-Diggs, and Kim Heikkila today, and stay tuned for more interviews with your Minnesota favorites to come!
Article by Becky Fillinger
Deacon and Melina with a Ranger
The Mississippi River Fellowship was created to help build a park staff more representative of the communities it serves. We talked to the 2021 River Fellows, Melina Pakey-Rodriguez and Deacon Deboer, about what they’re learning on their 10-week paid fellowship and takeaways from the experience.
Melina Pakey-RodriguezQ: Melina - you're a rising senior at Cornell University. Has the Fellowship opened your eyes to careers in environmental management and sustainability with the National Park Service or groups like the Mississippi Park Connection?
Melina: I think oftentimes people studying conservation and the environment consider a job with the National Park Service to be the ultimate goal. I always loved visiting national parks but was not sure if a job in the National Park Service or its affiliated organizations was for me. While I am passionate about nature and conservation, I’m more focused on environmental justice and making nature inclusive and welcoming to all. I didn’t think there were opportunities to incorporate these interests into a National Park Service job. Since starting this fellowship, I have realized that working for a non-profit partner organization like Mississippi Park Connection (MPC) is a great way to work on projects related to the national parks that might be more community-focused. I think it’s definitely a benefit for the NPS to have non-governmental partner organizations like MPC that can create and support initiatives that the NPS itself cannot.
Deacon DeboerQ: Deacon - You're in your last semester at the University of Minnesota and I read that you're interested in diversity inclusion, kinship and identity building through language and place. Has the Fellowship allowed you to share your passions with the staff of the National Park Service and the Mississippi Park Connection?
Deacon: The fellowship has gone above and beyond my expectations of freedom to express my areas of interest pertaining to the river and Unci Maka (Grandmother Earth). It has involved many supportive and constructive conversations with relatives and co-workers in relation to the future. Going forward, I find these communicative relationships vital to building reciprocal relationships with the land.
Q: I think of your Fellowship as a Residency for a new physician – you rotate among all the different branches of the National Park Service. Do you have a favorite rotation?
Deacon: One of my favorite positions within the Park Service and in partnership with Mississippi Park Connection has been the BioTech animal surveys that vary from Monarch Monitoring to bats, beavers and bees. All these critters help us out in our ecosystem tremendously and I am so thankful to be able to experience these animals through working closely with them. My favorite is seeing Monarchs on top of Itoptasapa thapezhuta (milkweed).
Melina: That is a hard question to answer, but I’d have to say working with Wilderness Inquiry and canoeing with school kids has been the most fun and rewarding part of the Fellowship. Wilderness Inquiry is an organization that helps people of all ages and backgrounds explore the outdoors. About once a week I work with them during activity days, where a group of school kids will come for a day trip to a lake in the Twin Cities area to go canoeing and do other outdoor activities with Wilderness Inquiry staff, park rangers, and sometimes MPC staff like myself. Many of the kids have never been canoeing before, and being part of their discovery of the outdoors is always a blast.
Q: Why was the Fellowship attractive to you? Why did you apply?
Melina: I actually found this Fellowship through a friend who saw it posted online and thought of me. For the past few years, she had listened to me rave about the grand Mississippi River and my dream of paddling it from source to sea. Also knowing I was interested in working for a community-based non-profit, she forwarded the job posting to me. I think the appeal of this Fellowship to me was the fact that I would get experience working in many branches of the National Park Service and their non-profit partners. Usually, fellowships are targeted towards a very specific type of career. As someone still figuring out exactly what I would like to do after college, I am grateful the River Fellowship has allowed me many different opportunities in community outreach and park management.
Deacon: I applied to this Fellowship because I look to the river as a relative and should be treated as so. It is my home away from home here in Bde Ota (Minneapolis). The Cetan Wakpa and Mni Sota Wakpa in Pezihutazizi Kapi (Upper Sioux Community) is where I spent much of my childhood and those waters connect to me in Bde Ota (Minneapolis) and Imniza ska (St. Paul). The Fellowship is an opportunity for me to build relationalities along the Haha Wakpa (Mississippi River) and create safe spaces for relatives to use.
Q: I realize you're in the midst of your Fellowship, but do you have any takeaways you would like to share with us?
Melina: The biggest takeaway so far is my understanding that it really doesn’t matter what your interests are or what you studied in college. Many of my coworkers at MPC and NPS are interested in history, economics, geology, music, and so much more. There isn’t just one way to protect the environment or to bring people closer to nature, and so we need people with diverse interests in order to make the biggest impact. Some community members like to volunteer pulling weeds in a prairie, others like to do nature art, and still others like kayaking down a river. There are so many different ways of knowing and caring for nature!
Deacon: As I am still amid my Fellowship for the summer, I am still finding language to be an afterthought in peoples’ minds pertaining to the spirituality of a place and the weight a name holds in describing these places. There is much work to do in regards to societal efforts going forward that is much needed. Many organizations that we are surrounded by are entirely colonial systemically and recognizing this fact, and recognizing the history of place, can aid in decolonization. I find it imperative for the National Park Service to amplify BIPOC voices in all conversations and continuously look to analyze language and place in historical contexts.
Q: How can the NPS better serve and recruit future employees from diverse and underserved populations?
Melina: It's hard, isolating, and often discouraging work for BIPOC blazing new trails and trying to enter mostly white fields. That is certainly the case in the National Park Service, where rangers even in big cities such as Minneapolis are overwhelmingly white. I think part of the problem is that younger BIPOC simply do not think that working in the park service is a possibility for them. In terms of recruitment, I think it’s important to acknowledge that having a white national park ranger come to schools or wherever to try to recruit young BIPOC to the National Park Service is usually ineffective. It is not enough to preach the narrative of inclusion. The National Park Service should work to hire BIPOC and uplift BIPOC voices already in conservation so that maybe young environmentalists can see themselves represented. Of course, it’s a hard job to ensure there is representation in National Park Service websites and in outreach roles while not tokenizing and burdening BIPOC staff. Right now, I’d say I’m cautiously optimistic about the trajectory of the National Park Service and its growing emphasis on diversity.
Indoor pavilion and Owamni restaurant will be open daily
The Water Works Pavilion and Owamni by The Sioux Chef restaurant open today, Monday, July 19! The two-story park pavilion and visitor center is located at 425 West River Parkway. Building hours are 4-9 pm today through Wednesday, July 21, then 11 am-9 pm daily July 22 through Aug. 31.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and Minneapolis Parks Foundation partnered on the 7,800 square foot. mill-remnant embedded pavilion as part of the surrounding Water Works site, which opened to the public on May 20, 2021. Water Works was made possible through generous Twin Cities individual and institutional supporters to the Parks Foundation’s $18.1 million RiverFirst Capital Campaign.
"The Water Works Pavilion drastically improves an area of our park system visited by millions of people each year by offering a range of accessible resources while honoring Indigenous history at this sacred riverfront site,” says Al Bangoura, Superintendent of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “I’m excited for people to experience the building and enjoy everything The Sioux Chef has to offer. It’s a great place to rest, refresh, hydrate, celebrate, eat and learn.”
The first floor of the new park building features a welcome desk staffed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), accessible bathrooms, a water fountain and water bottle filling station, and the Lenzmeier Family Foundation Classroom, which will be available to rent for events or meetings in the future.
A view of Owamni during a soft open event July 15.
The second floor of the building hosts Owamni, a new all-season restaurant from The Sioux Chef serving dine-in and take-out Indigenous cuisine. Online reservations are available at www.owamni.com. The Sioux Chef also plans to create events and educational opportunities to elevate Indigenous voices as part of its larger mission to promote Native American cultures, honor plants and natural resources, and foster a vibrant Indigenous food movement. To learn more, please visit The Sioux Chef website.
“With the opening of the Water Works Park Pavilion and Owamni, Minneapolis once again has a place to gather on the banks of the Mississippi within the Minneapolis parks system,” notes Tom Evers, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. “This moment is the culmination of years of work and dedication and an extraordinary fundraising effort. As public life in Minneapolis returns after the past year, we will have an extraordinary new place to gather.”
The building offers supportive features like a wudu foot washing station and an adult-sized changing table to support use by seniors and people with disabilities. The pavilion and site meet B3 sustainability guidelines for energy efficiency, emissions and air quality, bird detectable glass, landscape treatment, and material sourcing.
“It's great to open the building after seeing so many folks out enjoying the outdoor spaces, trail connections and the Nature Play Lab at Water Works this summer," says Jono Cowgill, President of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. "I'm thrilled to see The Sioux Chef open Owamni and am proud we're partnering with them at this important and historic site."
The three-acre grounds of Water Works at Mill Ruins Park overlooks St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. It's designed to reveal layers of untold stories, in acknowledgement of the location as both a spiritual place that has shaped cultural and economic connections for Indigenous people and immigrants, and as the birthplace of Minneapolis’ milling history.
The Lenzmeier Family Foundation Classroom will be available to rent for meetings, events or special occassions in the future.
Pavilion visitors will enter via West River Parkway through an arched glass doorway into the two-story atrium. A public elevator and stairway in the lower river level of the pavilion will help accessibility between the upper and lower levels. The staircase was built with reclaimed Douglas Fir beams salvaged from the Fuji Ya restaurant that operated at the site from 1968 to 1990. Minneapolis-based HGA Architects & Engineers was the lead architect on the pavilion.
Building and Site History
People have gathered at Owámniiyomni (St. Anthony Falls) for thousands of years. It was a prime place for encampments by the Dakhóta, Ho-Chunk, and Ojibwe due to the proximity to a place of spiritual power, traditional routes, and locations for harvesting foods such as maple sugar and cranberries. After the Euro-American settlement of the cities of St. Anthony and Minneapolis, Native peoples continued to stay at the Falls through the 1860s, when they were forcibly relocated to reservations. Today, this area is still a sacred destination for Native people across the country.
Minneapolis grew around industrial development on the Mississippi River. Loggers gathered for work at the city’s saw mills, then some of the world’s largest flour mills were built, harnessing the power of the river as the city continued to grow.
The pavilion showcases carefully excavated mill remnants from the Bassett Sawmill, which was built in 1870 and burned in 1897, and Columbia Flour Mill, which was built in 1882 and collapsed in 1941. The decline of riverfront industry in the mid-20th century was followed by a central riverfront revitalization, led by the Fuji Ya restaurant.
When it opened in 1968, Fuji Ya was the first new building in an abandoned industrial area of Minneapolis, spurring the beginning of a riverfront redevelopment period that continues to this day. Fuji Ya moved in 1990 and the MPRB bought the site in an era of riverfront park development that saw the Stone Arch Bridge transition from railroad to pedestrian and bike use, an expansion of trails on West River Parkway and the development of Boom Island Park. Wooden beams salvaged from the Fuji Ya building were reused to build the stairway between the two floors.
Water Works is part of the RiverFirst Initiative, a effort supported by the MPRB and Minneapolis Parks Foundation to transform the once-industrial Mississippi Riverfront as it flows through the heart of Minneapolis into a welcoming place for all people through improved habitat and miles of new interconnected parks and trails. Other RiverFirst projects include Hall’s Island, an island and gravel beach that was restored in 2018 after it was destroyed by lumberyard expansion in the 1960s; and the 26th Avenue North Overlook, located a few miles upriver of Water Works and completed in May 2021.
Article by Michael Rainville, Jr.
The brewing tradition in Minnesota is older than the state itself. The first European to arrive in and explore this area, Father Louis Hennepin, was himself a brewer, and in 1848, the year before Minnesota was granted territory status, the area’s first commercial brewery was opened by German immigrant Anthony Yoerg. Before then, military personal at Fort Snelling and immigrants coming from the East Coast were brewing beer in their homes. Decades later, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul were full of breweries.
Diagram of ale vs. lager brewing processes.
One of the first successful breweries in the area was established by Christopher Stahlmann, a native of Nuremberg, Germany. Like many German immigrants in the mid-1800s, Stahlmann brought with him a different style of beer, the lager. From the time of the Thirteen Colonies until the 1850s, English ale was the beer of choice in North America. Ale and lager have very similar brewing processes, with the main difference being how each ferments. The yeast in ale sits on top of room temperature wort, a sugary liquid consisting of water and malt, and the yeast in lager sits on the bottom of the tank in cooler temperatures. In order to find the perfect temperatures to ferment lager, many German immigrants settled in cities along waterways with sandstone bluffs along the shores, such as Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago. Sandstone is a mix of soft yet durable material that makes carving out a cave system very achievable, and this is exactly what Christopher Stahlmann had in mind when he arrived in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1855.
Entrance to Fountain Cave in 1875. This would have looked similar to the entrance to Stahlmann's Cave, and was located nearby along the banks of the Mississippi.
Stahlmann first arrived in the United States in 1846 at the age of seventeen, and after bouncing around the East Coast and the old Northwest for a few years, he finally settled in Saint Paul in 1855. That year, many riverboats were making the trek up the Mississippi River to bring settlers to Saint Paul and the surrounding area, so when choosing a location for his new brewery, Stahlmann took into account the potential growth of the new city. He found plenty of space away from the city center along Fort Road, now known as West Seventh Street, and took advantage of the geology of the Mississippi River bluffs. Artificial refrigeration had not yet been invented and brought to the United States, so this section of the Mississippi River that is spotted with natural caves was the perfect location to create caverns for the lagering process. Stahlmann quickly found success and became the largest beer producer in Minnesota after the Civil War, making 10,000 barrels of beer a year.
Stahlmann dug out his cave system in St. Peter Sandstone, the layer of geology right below Platteville Limestone which created a flat ceiling for the caves. The passages of the caves measured sixteen feet wide by ten feet tall with two grids of passages coming together at an angle. In total, there were roughly 1,400 feet of tunnels. Later subterranean additions brought the total length to half a mile. While the subterranean parts of his brewery were his most important “structures” for the company, he did begin constructing buildings in 1858.
Brewery employees, 1870 (note, child labor laws did not yet exist).
The first structure was a three-story brewhouse, and a decade-and-a-half later, he built a fermentation house and bottling plant. Once the American patent for the Lind ice machine was secured by Frederick Wolff in 1880, Stahlmann became one of the first in the nation to build ice houses with that technology, which resulted in the majority of the lagering process moving aboveground. During the 1880-1881 construction boom for the brewery, Stahlmann also erected a stone stable house, a boarding house, and an entirely new brewing complex. He hired Chicago architect Wangen to design this campus, which included a barley roasting kiln, a row of connected malt houses, and a four-story brewhouse. In total, this project cost $65,000, or over $1,700,000 after inflation.
1883 portrait of Stahlmann with other state representatives.
Throughout his time in Saint Paul, Stahlmann also worked as a community leader. He became a Ramsey County Commissioner in 1871, and later that year, he was elected to the State House of Representatives. He would hold other offices, including another stint in the House of Representatives starting in 1883, all while continuing to grow his brewery from its humble beginnings in a cave to producing over 40,000 barrels of beer a year at its peak in 1884. In the early 1880s, the vibrations of the aboveground brewery campus caused the ceiling to cave-in in many sections of the cave system, so they abandoned it altogether.
Stahlmann's Saloon on West Seventh taken in 1959.
In December of 1884, Christopher Stahlmann passed away at the age of sixty-five. Over the course of the next ten years Stahlmann’s three sons passed away from tuberculosis, and two years after that, George Mitsch, a father-in-law to one of the sons and head of the brewing company, passed away. The brewery campus would be used by others, but none found the success Stahlmann once achieved. However, brewing was not done in the area quite yet. In 1899, Stahlmann’s old brewery was purchased by none other than Jacob Schmidt.
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About Michael Rainville, Jr.
A 6th generation Minneapolitan, Michael Rainville, Jr. received his B.A. in History, Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies, and M.A. in Art History from the University of St. Thomas.
Michael is also a lead guide at Mobile Entertainment, LLC, giving Segway, biking, and walking tours of the riverfront for 9+ years.
He can be reached at mrainvillejr@comcast.net.
Submitted by Mill District resident Ric Rosow
The Mill City Singers performed for the first time in over a year and a half at Music in Kelly Park in Apple Valley on Friday, July 16, with J.D. Steele and the MacPhail Community Youth Choir.
J.D. Steele leading the Mill City Singers.
J.D. Steele leading the MacPhail Community Youth Choir.
The Mill City Singers program is made possible by local nonprofit, Be That Neighbor.
Beverly Tipton Hammond of the Tipton Hammond Arts Gallery (formerly Berries on the Vine) recently announced the opening of The Pure Water School of Dance, located in Suite 261 in the Northrup King Building.
Summer Session 2021 Class Schedule:
Beverly Tipton Hammond is an ordained minister, choreographer, actress, singer, and songwriter. She began dancing at the age of 5 at the Washington School of Ballet. She continued her training as dance major at SUNY Purchase, where she studied, Graham, Limon, and Cunningham modern technique. Beverly has danced with the Baltimore Dance Theatre, Eva Anderson, the Cultural Arts Institute, Deborah London, and the Turn Out dance Company, Vanessa Jackson Johnson.
In Minnesota she studied at the Children’s Theatre in Minneapolis and the Minnesota Dance Theatre. She founded the Kingdom Dance Ministry in 1996 and opened the first Pure Water School in Baltimore in 2012. Since moving to Minnesota in 2016, she has become a member of Theatre 55 and opened an art gallery with her husband A. Drew Hammond in NE Minneapolis. Now as a resident of Minnesota, she is laying a new foundation for this school. Ballet and Modern Dance will be offered for students ages 5 to adult!
Mill City Times | 35W Bridge Memorial | Mill District Block Party | Mill City Media
Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 3:08PM
