| |
Stone
Arch Bridge
Gracefully spanning the Mississippi
River in downtown Minneapolis, the Stone Arch Bridge serves
as a key pedestrian link in the St. Anthony Falls Heritage
Trail, connecting historic buildings and archaeological sites
on both sides of the river. It is the oldest mainline railroad
bridge in the Northwest and the only stone arch bridge across
the Mississippi |
| |
 |
Riding
the Trolley
Journey
over the Mississippi River via the century-old Stone Arch
Bridge, past St. Anthony Falls to the cobblestone streets
of St. Anthony Main. Stop at attractions like the Walker
Art Center, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden,Guthrie Theater,
and the Mill City Museum. In addition, learn the history
of downtown Minneapolis and see the Nicollet Mall.
Purchase your ticket by credit card 651-223-5600 at http://twincitytrolleys.com
Find your desired boarding location and time.
http://twincitytrolleys.com |
| |
|
 |
Mill
City Museum
An attraction for all ages, Mill City Museum http://www.millcitymuseum.org/
chronicles the flour
milling industry that dominated world flour production for
roughly a half-century and fueled the growth of Minneapolis,
recognized across the nation and around the world as Mill
City. Built
within the ruins of a National Historic Landmark, the Washburn
A Mill, the museum provides a multi-sensory, interactive journey.
The story of flour milling and its impact on Minneapolis,
the nation and the world comes to life through the eight-story
Flour Tower and other hands-on exhibits. |
 |
Mill
Ruins Park
Mill Ruins Park
is the centerpiece of the revitalization of Minneapolis' historic
West Side Milling District. In its 19th-century heyday, this
area of mills, canals, tailraces and other historic resources
made up the largest water powered facility in the world. Today
people are invited to visit the recent excavation of this
historical site and get a glimpse into an era when Minneapolis
was number one in flour milling; waterpower ran industry and
the labor of immigrants hand built the city. |
 |
Horse
Drawn Carriages
The
Hitching Company operates horse drawn carriage rides and
tours along Historic Cobblestone Main Street and the tree-lined
parkways of the downtown Minneapolis Riverfront District.
Celebrate an anniversary, engagement or birthday; even experience
a romantic dinner and then a horse drawn carriage ride along
the Mississippi River with a spectacular city skyline view.
Reservations are available year round - rides leave from
St. Anthony Main next to VIC'S Dining & Cocktails. Public
Horse drawn Carriage rides are available from St. Anthony
Main each Spring through Fall every evening from 6:30pm
- 12:00am. $105.00 1 hour, $55.00 ½ hour, $30.00 15
min.
Call
the Hitching Company at 612.338.7777 for reservations or
for more horse drawn carriage ride information.
|
 |
Nicollet
Island Park
Nicollet Island Park is located off historic Main Street at East Hennepin. Named after the mapmaker Joseph Nicollet, the upper end of the island is a 19th century residential district with many architectural styles dating from the 1860's to the 1890's (43 historic homes). This beautiful island oasis began as one of the rougher parts of Minneapolis – a downtown with grain mills and rail yards, where mill and factory workers put in their trade time, and played hard as well.
The lower end of the island is where the park area is located. Within the park is the Nicollet Island Pavilion, original built in 1893 as the William Bros. Boiler Works. Originally, the building was converted into an open air pavilion, but in 2003 extensive renovations enclosed the pavilion creating a year round special events venue. On the river side is a large tented patio with an expansive promenade, offering incredible views of the Downtown Minneapolis cityscape with a good view of the 1858 horseshoe-shaped dam, the first dam on the Mississippi River. For more information about the Nicollet Island Pavilion, visit our website at www.nicolletislandpavilion.com to reserve the pavilion for events, call call Mintahoe at 612-253-0255.
Next door the to beautiful Nicollet Island Inn, be sure to visit Merriam
Street, where you may catch a ride on The Hitching Company’s horse
drawn carriage. Considered the jewel of the island, Nicollet Island Inn
was originally the Island Door and Sash Company built in 1893. In the
1970's the Inn was renovated into a boutique hotel which features 24
Guest rooms of period decoration and furniture, a 150 year-old bar, and an award-winning restaurant. For hotel and restaurant reservations, call 612-331-3035.
|
 |
Old
Saint Anthony
Old Saint Anthony is a thriving neighborhood and business
community just north of downtown, located at the intersection
of East Hennepin Avenue and University, and the immediate
vicinity.
The community has a great diversity
of places to go, whether you're looking for a quick lunch,
an exciting night out, or a place to shop around on the weekend! |
 |
Our
Lady of Lourdes Church
Ortman and Bank Streets built in 1857,
this is the oldest Minneapolis church in continuous use. Constructed
from limestone quarried from Nicollet Island.
For more information and historical tours call. 612-379-2259 |
| |
St.
Anthony Falls Heritage Trail
Along the east and
west banks of the Mississippi. Year-round historic walking
trail provides a self-guided tour of the St. Anthony Falls
Historic District.
The
1.8-mile trail takes you along the Mississippi River via
Nicollet Island and the Hennepin Avenue and Stone Arch bridges.
Kiosks, way markers and signs mark the trail and provide
historic data. |
 |
St.
Anthony Falls
Portland Avenue and West River Road Originally
called "curling waters" by the Dakota Indians, the
falls were renamed by Father Louis Hennepin after his patron
saint, Saint Anthony of Padua.
Known
as the birthplace of Minneapolis, this landmark is the only
waterfall on the Mississippi River. Great viewing of the
falls from the Stone Arch Bridge. |
 |
Upper
St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam
Portland Avenue and West River Parkway
This location is the uppermost of 29 locks connecting Minneapolis
with the Gulf of Mexico. Owned and operated by the Army Corps
of Engineers, the center provides interpretive displays and
an observation deck for watching watercraft pass through the
lock.
Open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m., April-November.
For more information call 612-333-5356. Free
admission |
 |
Ard
Godfrey House
Located
in Chute Square at Central and University
Avenues. The oldest frame house in the Twin Cities. Built
in 1849, this Greek Revival structure was the family residence
for the Maine millwright who helped build the first dam and
sawmills to put the waterpower of the falls to use.
Open June 1-September 30, Fridays-Sundays, noon-3:30 p.m. |
 |
St.
Anthony Main
Main Street at Central Avenue
This complex overlooks the Mississippi River and was once
the center of the Village of St. Anthony. It has the oldest
brick and stone buildings in the city, dating back to the
1850s. Today
St. Anthony Main has been restored and houses unique restaurants
such as Pracna on Main Historic Restaurant, Vic’s
Tuggs Tavern, Aster coffee shop, and a 5 screen movie theater.
It is also known for its festivals, community celebrations
and summer concerts |
 |
Boom
Island Park
East End of Plymouth Avenue Bridge at Mississippi
River
This 25-acre riverfront park was once a holding place for
logs on their way to the sawmill. The park was named after
the Mississippi and Rum River Boom Company, which operated
floating booms during the sawmill days.
Facilities
include a playground, picnic areas, a boat launch and dock,
walking/biking paths and the Anson Northrup excursion boat
landing ( Daily sightseeing cruises available Memorial Day-Labor
Day and on weekends in May and September. Admission fee.
For more information call 651-227-1100). |
 |
The
Milwaukee Depot Complex
The
last train left in 1971, but the Milwaukee Road Depot still
stands as a monument of rail days gone by. For nearly seven
decades, family members and loved ones stood at the atrium
of the Depot and waved to passengers boarding the trains of
the Milwaukee Road line. The
rail line, first built in 1864, was originally known as
the Minnesota Central Railroad. In 1867 the Milwaukee and
St. Paul Railroad bought the Minnesota Central Railway,
changing the name of the railroad to the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul Railroad in 1874, later shortening the name
to Milwaukee Road. The Milwaukee Road Depot was constructed
in 1899 and remains one of the last long-span, truss-roofed
sheds surviving in the nation.
The
renovated complex now houses a Courtyard by Marriott and
Residence Inn by Marriott, an indoor water park, an interpretive
history center about the Depot, an enclosed year-round ice
rink (under the historic train shed) and heated underground
parking for 650 automobiles.
For more information call 612-375-1700 |
 |
The
Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank Building
The
headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
is along the Mississippi River from Hennepin Avenue to
Second Avenue North, a site commonly referred to as the
Bridgehead Site.
Plaza
and Grounds
In addition to the trees and benches on the plaza, there
is a 16-foot diameter city map which orients visitors
and residents alike to the area's historic sites: St.
Anthony Falls, the Warehouse District and key buildings
in the downtown area. Six beacon lights separate the plaza
at the street level from the handicapped-accessible walkway
that leads down to the parkway and complement the lights
atop the Hennepin Avenue Bridge.
Along the plaza walkway that leads to the riverfront are
five interpretive exhibits that depict the history of
the site. They are titled respectively: A Great Waterfall
(1805), Gateway to the West (1875), Growth of Commerce
(1895), Civic Improvements (1925) and Transformations
(1995). At the base of the plaza is the pergola, an arborlike
structure that overlooks the river. The Second
Avenue North end of the Bank's property is planted with
prairie grasses and wildflowers and surrounded by a decorative
wrought iron fence. In all, landscaping includes 148 deciduous
trees, 59 evergreen trees and 6,945 shrubs. |
| 
|
Minneapolis
Post Office
This
is quite possible the strongest Art Deco building in
the City of Minneapolis. Inside, the main lobby is over
1,000' long and it is a monument of nicely shaped sandstone,
marble and brass. It also features the longest brass
light fixture in the U.S. stretching the entire length
of the lobby. |
|
PILLSBURY
A MILL
In 1881, the Pillsbury Milling Company
built the largest grain mill in the world on the east
bank of the Falls of St. Anthony. A canal was dug
under Main Street (extant) and water powered this
mammoth mill. Leroy S. Buffington was a prominent
architect here in Minneapolis and was called in to
design it. He had been itching to do this for some
years, because he thought buildings should be designed
by Architects and not by Engineers.
Most
milling buildings on the East and West side of the
falls of St. Anthony had been designed by Engineers
with not much thought to how these buildings might
please the untrained eye. These buildings were built
to accommodate a process that was very hard on a building.
There was much moving of heavy machinery and much
vibration built-in to the process, and the building
had to be built to withstand many years of this sort
of abuse.
Buffington
consulted with engineers familiar with the milling
process when he designed the building, but he must
not have taken their advice too seriously. The Pillsbury
"A" Mill was finished in 1881. In 1905,
the building had to be shut down and extensively rebuilt
and reinforced because it was literally falling in
on itself.
Notice
the picture shows the top of the mill slumping in
towards the middle of the building. That's no trick
of light. That's real. This building was in big trouble
and to fix it, the top two floors inside had to be
completely rebuilt. Shoring was added to the front
of the building on the lower floors to keep the limestone
of the building from bulging any further.
Through
all this, the mill still stands. It's on the National
Historic Register and it is also a National Engineering
Landmark. It's currently being developed as a residential
community. |
| |
Water Power Park
Never before has the general public been able to able to walk this piece of land and experience the power of the mighty Mississippi River as it flows over St Anthony Falls. You feel the power of the river, the spray from the falls as you stand on one of the three overlooks with the skyline of minneapolis in the background. Park in the St. Anthony Falls Ramp and take connective tunnel to Main St. and you will find yourself just accross the street from water power park.
|
|
