INSIDEGetting Involved in thePreservation Alliance

Black History andMinnesota Preservation

Rondo Remembered

Preservationists YouShould Know:Sharon Sayles Belton

Redeemer MissionaryBaptist Church

CCC: CopiousContributions Coming

Engineering or Poetry?The Stillwater Lift Bridge

"When a dream is

courageously andcreatively described,advocates oftenmaterialize--- thankgoodness!"

This quote is just what thedoctor ordered---see page 12.

SHAKOPEE MAY LOSE A DOZEN OFITS OLDEST BUILDINGS

Despite the number of now-vanished buildingsJudy Case points to in her Shakopee Scrapbook,a look down First A venue's rows of oldercommercial building facades gives glimpses ofcentury-old architectural features here and therethat somehow read through altered andmodernized storefronts. And peeking along thesides of these structures, old painted signs onbrick walls can be seen, and around the comers

. of intersecting streets, many houses have keptfront porches and bay windows intact. Here and there are vacant lots,drastically remodeled buildings, and many modem places. But history in thistown along the Minnesota River has somehow persisted.

The drugstore, the bank, the dry goods store, and the old opera house Ms.Case talks about with fondness and sadness have been one-at-a-time losseshappening over time. She is proud to point out that her affiliation with thistown comes not just from her affection for what she sees in the scrapbook.Judy Case is a fourth generation Shakopee resident, and more than that, "I

continued on page 10

This row ot'storef;-ont buildin!;s has been markedfi!r removal.

PRESERV AnON MATTERS

President's NotesBy Roger Brooks

GETTING INVOLVED

Preservation Matters

Published monthly by the

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

275 Market Street, Suite 54

Minneapolis, MN 55405-1621

Telephone (612) 338-6763

Several people have asked me how they can get more involved inpreservation activities in Minnesota. Now Ihave the perfect answer: joinone of the committees of the Preservation Alliance.

Starting in January ofthis year, several committees got themselves organizedand began plotting action strategies for 1997 and ,beyond. Committeeparticipants are mix of past and present board members, long-time membersof the Alliance, and newcomers who want to meet fellow preservationistsand get more involved.

The committees are where the real action is. Join a preservation committeeand donate a few hours a month. You'll be glad you did. Here are themajor committees:

PR / Newsletter. This committee works with the newsletter staff and isalso initiating a public relations strategy to raise the visibility of historicpreservation in the state. More people are needed to help identify the "lDmost endangered" properties, manage the annual preservation awards, workon the PAM web site, do graphic design, and more.

Fundraising. The receipt of the National Trust Challenge Grant has giventhis committee a clearcut mission: raise enough matching money to hire aprofessional executive director and expand PAM's programs. There's lotsof work to be done, and everybody (really) needs to lend a hand!

Legislative. We have a three-year plan to study the legal framework forpreservation in the state, organize a plan of action, and get changes enactedthat will make Minnesota much more preservation-friendly. The train willbe leaving the station soon. Get on board!

Easement. This committee wants to expand PAM's facade easementprogram to cover more historic structures. They want to develop newmaterials and get the word out more widely than before.

Special Events. Here's the place for lots of fun--organizing events likethe Preservation Conference, Spring Benefit, and Fall Festival. Help strategize,plan, schedule, arrange, and everything else in between.·· Lots of camaraderieand satisfaction from accomplishing something important and tangible.

Membership. This committee is going to be initiating contacts with lots ofother organizations in an effort to build PAM's membership. Working withthis committee will introduce you to many people working on preservationIssues.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Roger Brooks, President (SI. Paul)

Martha H. Frey, Vice-President (Minneapolis)

Mark Peterson, Secretary (Winona)

Robert Frame III, Treasurer (SI. Paul)

Robert Claybaugh (Taylors Falls)

Peter Erickson (Minneapolis)

Mark Farnan (SI. Paul)

Sylvia Frank (SI. Paul)

Richard Husband (Rochester)

Michelle Kullen (SI. Paul)

Mary Ann McCoy (Minneapolis)

William Morgan (SI. Cloud)

Peter Rand (Minneapolis)

Gary Stenson (Roseville)

Virginia Sweatt (Wayzata)

Ex OIIicio:

Britta Bloomberg (SI. Louis Park)Robert Roscoe (Minneapolis)•

National Trust forHistoric Preservation Advisors

Jody Phelps

Charlene Raise

•Staff

Marvel Anderson

•EDITORIAL STAFFRobert Roscoe, Editor

Jody Keppers, Layout EditorKristofer Layon, Layout Editor

John Manning, Copy EdllorAnn Miller, Layout Editor

WritersRoll Anderson

June Burd

Jody KappersAmy Lucas

John ManningAnn Miller

Rod Richter

Charlene RoiseRobert Roscoe

Heather Worthington

IllustratorFranklin Haws, Jr.•

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is a

private, non-profll organization dedicated topreserving, protecting and defending Minnesota's

historic resources.

PAM is a 501 (c)3 organization.

Basic membership fees are $25 per year.

Views expressed in Preservation Matlers do

not necessarily reflect the position of PAM orits Board of Directors.

Preservation Alliance Web Site:

www.umn.edulnlhomefm121/brook0241pam.htm

2 Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

FEBRUARY 1997

PRESERVATION ATTITUDES

By Robert Roscoe, Editor

February being Black History Month, it seemed to bethe proper time this month for Preservation Matters tofeature preservation's places of Black heritage, or tryto. We had similar ideas in previous years, but therecords and our knowledge seemed scant.

We thought that there were several reasons to accountfor what constituted this inconspicuous absence. First,the National Register of Historic Places lists just oneproperty that has affiliation with black Minnesotahistory, the Pilgrim Baptist Church at 732 West CentralAvenue in Saint Paul. From looking at populationstatistics, the population of blacks in Minnesota wasvery small until migration movements in the 1950s and1980s, coming well after the built environment wasalready in place.

But with a little more effort, Preservation Matters cameup with a good number of relevant articles that coulddo some justice to acknowledge the role of places ofblack heritage. Then, there came a reluctance to publishwhat could be considered a patronizing bunch of articlesduring Black History month and call the job done untilnext February.

What Preservation Matters intends to do is begin todevelop an awareness of the inevitable and indeliblefact that no matter the conditions, the cultural imprintis in place. It just has to be interpreted. The tools forhistoric research, fixed for the very necessary reasonof placing consistency in the process, may need toaccommodate more than the usual patterns.

Having considered that, the question still remained inmy mind about the under-representation of the blackexperience in Minnesota's architectural heritage. I do

President's Column continued from previous page

We also have a Finance committee that oversees ourfinancial affairs and a Nominating committee that isresponsible for development of the board and advisorycouncil. These committees could also use some help.

Most committees meet monthly in and around the TwinCities. For more information about committees, call meat 612/690-2648 or Marvel Anderson at 612/338-6763.

not think there is any bias in the historic researchcommunity that happens to be wholly white. CliftonJohns, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of RedeemerBaptist Church in Minneapolis, commented when askedthat question that most places black people have dealtwith are places that white people no longer wanted forthemselves.

I called Randall Bradley, a black architect who lives inthe Homewood neighborhood in Minneapolis, tointerview him for the article in this newsletter about theneighbor-generated resurgence in that part of northMinneapolis, and after talking with him aboutHomewood, I asked him why there are so few blackhistoric places in Minnesota. He replied:

"Historic preservation is the domain of the sophisticated. "

I flinched a little at his comment, but then he quicklyadded, "What I mean by 'sophisticated' is not thewealthy, but the well-educated." Bradley thencontinued, "After I graduated from high school inChicago, I knew I wanted to be an architect, but I alsorealized my lack of knowledge of culture that anarchitect needs. So I enrolled in a local communitycollege and registered for a course in Shakespeare, awriter I knew nothing about, but I knew enough to knowthat Shakespeare epitomizes what I would have to learn.

"The first day in the class, I looked around and saw 47white faces; I was the only black in the class. Then theinstructor walked in and said, 'Well, looking around theroom here, it seems to me that everybody already knowsShakespeare well enough. So let's move on.'"

Now I think I understand.

PAM Committee ChairsPR / Newsletter: Bob ClaybaughFundraising: Charlene Roise and Mark PetersonLegislative: Mary Ann McCoyEasement: Peter EricksonSpecial Events: Michelle KullenMembership: Sylvia FrankFinance: Bob Frame

Nominating: Martha Frey

International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis,MN 55405-1621 3

PRESERVATION MATTERS

The Rondo Neighborhood of St. Paul was named for the street that ran east and west through it---Rondo Avenue.It was approximately one and one-half square miles. A vibrant community of schools, churches, businesses, andresidences, it was known as a "Colored Neighborhood"---an integrated neighborhood of many ethnic groups. Thesephotos show Rondo as it was in the 1940s, and how it looks today after the building of 1-94 in the 1950s and 60s.

4

Rondo Avenue and Arundel Street, circa 1940

Iglehart Avenue and Grotto Street, circa 1945

Carrall Avenue and Saint Alhans Street, circa 1945

Old Rondo and Arundel Street today

Iglehart and Grotto today

Carroll and Saint Albans today

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

FEBRUARY 1997

Preservationists You Should Know:

SHARON SAYLES BELTONMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

The State Theater on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapoliswould not be standing today had it not been for SharonSayles Belton's indefatigable intra-council campaign inthe mid 1980s when she was Eighth WardCouncilmember. A few years later, as council president,her early support for the Minneapolis Armory solidifiedthe city's defense of that building against county­sponsored demolition. And as Mayor of Minneapolis,Sayles Belton's directive to a public agency that shewould veto actions that would lead to demolition of theMarquette Block buildings on East Hennepin Avenueresulted in the successful renovation of these earlyMi~neapolis structures.

Somehow, despite her work that made a criticaldifference in several of Minneapolis' m~orpreservationbattles and many other much less public successfuloutcomes, Sharon Sayles Belton is not known as apreservationist. Her media coverage consists mainly ofthe typical city issues of public finance, public safetyand the headline issues of the day. There also have beenMinneapolis preservation issues that she (and anoverwhelming majority of councilmembers) have not

stood for, such as the Federal Reserve issue and theLutheran Brotherhood Building, but these can beconsidered isolated instances, apart from theunderstanding for preservation she has established.

In her early council days, Sayles Belton distinguishedherself as chair of the city's zoning and planningcommittee that had oversight responsibility of theMinneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, and hersupport of preservation issues (that usually fell belowthe visibility of public attention) was constant and strong.HPC's Chairperson at the time enjoyed monthlybreakfast meetings with her at a restaurant off LakeStreet in her ward, where she absorbed information ofupcoming preservation issues and provided strategy forHPC to finesse the finer points of upcoming contention.

But it was the State Theater that provided her, and thecity's, greatest preservation accomplishment. Therewas the allure of a developer who promised the then­laggard Hennepin Avenue would be revitalized with theLaSalle Place office-retail-entertainment development,but at the cost of an abandoned but once-glorious theaterthat stood in the way of the office tower. Publicagencies eagerly and actively supported thedevelopment, and a majority of the council hotly awaitedthe project's start.

For Sayles Belton, active opposition to what promisedglamorous new architecture and lush property taxreturns seemed to pose more political risk than reward,especially when early indications projected that only fiveof her fellow thirteen councilmembers would voteagainst the council's intentions to approve the project.Mayor Don Fraser said he did not like the,public cost,but gave no indications of official disapproval. ButSharon knew what the right thing was to do. Thecouncil's 13-5 vote for affirmation seemed to end it.Preservationists searched for the right words to lamentthe upcoming loss.

A few months later, Mayor Don Fraser publiclyannounced he would veto the LaSalle Place project ifthe State Theater would be removed, saying public costswere too excessive. Sharon worked again to ensure thefive previous councilmembers who voted against theproject would affirm the mayor's veto. The developersquickly reassessed their project pro forma, and in theprocess discovered the State Theater was not standingin the way of the office tower after all.

continued o,! page 8

International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis, MN 55405-1621 5

PRESERV AnON MATTERS

LITTLE CHURCH OF THE PRAIRIE SCHOOL

The Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church (116 E.32nd St., Minneapolis) was many people's introductionto a specific architectural style. Years ago, whilehurtling down 35W, one's eyes were inextricably pulledto that cubic massing of perpendicular lines perched onthe west side of the freeway. Its clarity of design waslike a trumpet call. More than seeing, you'd feel thehorizontal

expanse of theMidwesternprairie echoingin the low­pitched roof, thewide overhangs.You realizedthat the brickbox must be"PrairieSchool", a termyou may haveheard wheneverFrank LloydWright wasmentioned.

For a long time Iwondered whathad happened tothat magneticbuilding I'd seefrom the

freeway, andassumed it hadbeen tom down.What a relief todiscover it hadmerely beenconcealed by a noise barrier. Now it's the RedeemerMissionary Baptist Church. This National Registerproperty is pushing 90 years of age, but thanks to hardwork by Redeemer Baptist, 90 is not pushing back.

William Gray Purcell and George Feick accepted thelargest commission of their partnership in 1909 (GeorgeElmslie did not come aboard the firm until 1910). Themembers of the Stewart Presbyterian buildingcommittee must have been extraordinarily open-minded,because P & F were dedicated practitioners of theradical "form follows function" Progressive ideal. AndPurcell must have been extraordinarily persuasivewhen he sold them on the idea of a sanctuary being one

6

big square room. How did he convince them that thoughthe building would have a flat roof and no steeple, itwould still look like a place of worship?

Raised in the Presbyterian religion, Purcell believed thathis design would uniquely address the needs of theservice. The pews are divided into three groups that

directly face thepulpit platform.The square planbrings theworshippers intoward thelectern andchoir, increasingeveryone'ssense of

participation.The space has awarm, intimatefeel (truth beknown, Wrighthad done thisearlier with thealtar­surroundingseating of UnityTemple in OakPark).

Like Purcell'sbest work, theRedeemerMissionaryBaptist Churchseems larger onthe inside than it

appears outside. The ceiling stretches high above thecongregation's heads and walls are flat beige planes.The east wall is mostly window. Its leaded glass panelsflood the interior with changing natural light, suffusingthe air with an aqueous glow.

The west sanctuary wall contains the largest slidingdoors you'll ever see, a real oddity. They're slid backinto their pockets now. These massive wooden doors,filled with window lights, were meant to open to thecourt of a Sunday school wing. The church membersintended to add a Purcell-designed wing when theycould afford to build it. Until that time the outside of

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Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

FEBRUARY 1997

Redeemer continued from previous page

the doors would be covered over with tar paper and athin layer of wood. When the Stewart congregation wasfinally able to complete the project in the 1920s, P & Ewas history. The succeeding architects strove to maketheir wing's appearance blend in with the earlier plan,but it definitely lacks the look of our boys' work. It ruinsthe symmetry of the main building's two entrances.

On the outside, the church's window treatmentsemphasize how the enclosing corners provide thebuilding's support. The flat roof is topped with four smallchimneys which make a cruciform. Cruciforms areeverywhere in this church, even on the ceiling. Thevery squareness of the auditorium is a Christian symbol,just as cathedrals copy the shape of a more rectangularcrucifix.

In fact, the cruciform, or rather, the tesseract, was thesymbol Purcell, Feick and Elmslie adopted as their motif.It appeared on their stationary, presentation drawings,advertising - everything that came out of their office.A tesseract is a geometric graphic device of foursquares set equidistant from one another. "This implieda fifth yet invisible square, whose interior was a crossof open space between the original four visible squares.To Purcell and Elmslie, the conceptual mechanicsinvolved in this symbol perfectly described the processof unfolding organic design." (Mark Hammons, "Purcelland Elmslie, Architects", from Life and Art on theUpper Mississippi.)

The windows form large tesseracts outside. Cruciformsemerge naturally from the doors. Every surface insideis decorated with understated oak molding and trim thatcome together in perfect square crosses. The onlycurved lines to be found are sinuous engravings on theinside of door hinges, a remarkable little detail. Creativehonesty and spiritual integrity are conveyed through thisarchitecture; the Prairie School's values are built rightinto the church.

When completed in 1910, the Stewart MemorialPresbyterian Church was ahead of its time. It still is,but time caught up to it. The freeway tore apart thesurrounding community. The Presbyterians moved out.The sound barrier went up. A number of tenants usedthe space for their own devices. The church lookedshoddy, even though its long, clear lines never crumbled,never drooped. It was patiently waiting. All kinds ofprayers were answered when the RedeemerMissionary Baptist Church took possession in the mid­'80s.

It was first known as the Tabernacle Baptist Churchwhen an offshoot of Macedonia Baptist's congregationstarted meeting inthe Normandy Inn downtown.Clifton Johns, chairman of Redeemer's Board ofTrustees, said that when the growing church waslooking for a larger home, they got wind of a place thatthe Presbyterian organization was willing to lease at agood price. It was more an issue of timing and valuethat inspired them to move into "the church with theflat roof' than art appreciation. They bought the buildingin 1988.

Bargain that it may seem at first, moving into anarchitectural treasure has its price. Basic structuralwork was needed as well as a new boiler. Parishioners

have replaced the huge leaded glass panels with theirown hands. It needs an elevator for handicappedaccessibility. Then there are the changes that can notbe made for love or money . "We know there werecertain things we can not do, with the church being onthe National Register," Mr. Johns says. Redeemer'spreservation efforts have been noteworthy. Except forthe light fixtures, the auditorium appears much as it musthave in 1910.

The list of needed improvements is never ending. Somepeople want to make the Sunday school wing look as ifit were designed by Purcell. A parking lot is needed.Mr. Johns says the church would like to erect a patioand garden on the north side, and they're thinking ofselling patio bricks to individuals to help raise money.

Redeemer Baptist is considering various proposals forrestoration fundraising, but it wants to increase itsvisibility to further its mission, too. Sharing its uniquehome with the rest of the community is a way toaccomplish both.

"We wouldn'tmind hooking up with the MinneapolisInstitute of Arts," Mr. Johns says. ChristopherMonkhouse of the MIA has been by and inspected thechurch. Mr. Johns pointed out the proximity of thePurcell-Cutts house, one of the Institute's major assets.Why couldn't the bus that carries William Purcellpilgrims to Lake Place also swing by 32nd Street?

The immediate neighborhood shows its ownappreciation most graphically by two other propertiesthat share the block. These expensive tributes to Purcellare rather touching. On First A venue, a blandvernacular residence was recently renovated to look

continued on page 8

International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis, MN 55405-1621 7

PRESERVATION MATTERS

Redeemer continued from page 7

like it is of the Prairie School. And the brand newHarriet Tubman Center for Women is a large versionof the Robie House. The women's shelter andRedeemer Baptist "have been doing some collaborativethings," Mr. Johns relates.

Redeemer Baptist is considered to be a black church,though its membership is diverse. Traditionally,churches used to be the only self-governed institutionswhere citizens of color could come and exercise theirfull talents freely. Leadership and skills could benurtured before surfacing in the world at large. Manyof our greatest black heroes came out of a churchenvironment when they began working with communityand civic organizations.

Under the leadership of Clifton Johns and the ReverendDarwin Harris, among others, Redeemer MissionaryBaptist Church continues this church-communitypartnership, taking care of many sectors' needs atonce. Purcell, Feick and Elmslie believed that man'sphysical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects shouldbe unified, as in a tesseract. Purcell and Feick designedthis church for such a congregation.

Ann Miller

Sayles Belton continued from page 5

What Fraser did not note during his announcement wassomething then-Councilmember (now City Coordinator)Kathy O'Brien did mention some time later. Frasersubsequently was asked by a few people at a socialoccasion why he changed his mind on the LaSalleproject. He said his decision came while he was drivingback to Minneapolis from a civic issues workshop inRiver Falls, Wisconsin.

Fraser added, "In the car with me at the time wereSharon Sayles Belton and Kathy O'Brien."

Robert Roscoe

8

ISTEA GRANT TO RESTORE THERABIDEAU CAMP HAS BEEN

APPROVED!

The grant application for$167,853.00 submitted bythe Preservation Allianceto restore the RabideauCi vilian ConservationCorps (CCC) Camp hasreceived final approval!The Alliance has beenworking with the U.S.Forest Service for several

years in order to save this historic site located on theChippewa National Forest which is considered the mostintact of the few surviving CCC camps in the UnitedStates.

The funds requested were made available by theIntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act(ISTEA) which is a federal program providing fundingfor highway projects. Ten percent of the appropriationmust be spent for "enhancement" projects whichincludes historic preservation.

The total project cost of $167,853.00 will allow the fullrestoration of the camp's education building and theinstallation of an interpretive program as well as thestabilization of all remaining buildings at the camp, whichare now in dangerously deteriorated condition.

What remains to be done is to raise the balance of thematching funds representing 20% of the project cost,or a total of $33,853.00. To date a total of $15,388.00has been raised from contributions from Alliancemembers, CCC alumni, and alumni from the Universityof Illinois, as well as from our CCC CommemorativeQuilt Raffle, and donations from the Blackduck FireDepartment and the Squam Lake Foundation.

That leaves $18,465.00 left to raise. Remember eachdollar you donate, brings four additional dollars from thegrant. Please be generous because if the balance canbe raised in the coming months, work at the camp canbegin yet this year!

Rolf Anderson

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

FEBRUARY 1997

THE STILLWATER BRIDGE:STRUCTURE BECOMES POETIC

Last month's article A Tale of Two Bridges by MatHollingsworth described the Stillwater Bridge interms of the political controversy involving local,state and federal agencies. The physicaldescription of the bridge itself was put aside for themoment in order to provide a comprehensive andunderstandable outline of past and current eventsshaping the issue.

For the time being, the bridge has a reprieve fromdemolition, but the battle is far from over and theoutcome yet uncertain. In the meantime,Preservation Matters provides a description of thebridge's technical construction.

A most basic description of the Stillwater Bridge is thefirst paragraph in historian Jeff Hess's 1988 NationalRegister study:

"Connecting Stillwater,Minnesota on the westwith Houlton, Wisconsinon the east, theStillwater Bridge is arelatively unaltered 10­span, 2-lane highwaycrossing of the SaintCroix River; it includes acounterweighted, tower­and-cable, vertical-liftspan of the Waddel andHarrington type."

Spanning 1,050 feet over the river and flanked on eachend by concrete slab over compacted earth approaches,the bridge superstructure rests on concrete piers in theriver in a sequence of seven 140 foot long steel-framedspanning trusses, six of them fixed and one vertical lifttype. The trusses are called Parker through-typetrusses, meaning the truss framing forms a top, bottomand sides ·through which a roadbed of reinforcedconcrete serves traffic that passes across span to span.

The vertical-lift span truss of the Stillwater Bridge isbased on a structural system developed by J. A. L.Waddell in 1892 and refined by John Lyle Harrington.Its method of operation utilizes truss ends supported bysteel cables running above and over large pulley sheaveson top of truss-constructed towers astride each trusssupport end, counterweighted by massive concrete

blocks that rise and lower inside the tower frameworks.An electric motor operates the lifting procedure, withcontrol machinery located inside a steel-sheathed shedmounted aside the upstream side of the bridge. This liftstructure provides a navigational clearance of 57 feetabove normal water level, and is in service during theMay-to-October navigational season.

The steel members of the bridge's trusses are typicalangle-steel and channel configurations, rivet-connected,with ornamental detail relegated to walkway railings.

The Stillwater Bridge, built in 1931 and designed by theengineering firm Ash, Howard, Needles and Tammen,is historically significant, according to the Hess study,as a rare surviving example of vertical lift highwaybridge construction of the Waddell and Harrington type.

Nineteenth centuryengineering madepossible cast iron girderconstruction, whichintroduced the conceptof moveable bridges tospan navigable riverswhere topographicalconditions made fixedbridges impractical oruneconomical. Earlymoveable bridge typeswere folding, retracting,pivoting, and lift

structures. By the early twentieth century, cast iron wasreplaced by steel, and American engineers and thefederal government selected lift bridges as the mostworkable bridge type.

Besides its historic importance, the Stillwater Bridgeserves as an uncommon example of a utilitarianstructure responding to a technology structurally andaesthetically appropriate to the physical topographicalsetting. That structure's crossing the river becomes apoetic response of rhythmic structural chords low overthe water and unobtrusive to the natural beauty of theriver valley.

Robert Roscoe

International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Suite 54, Minneapolis, MN 55405-1621 9

PRESERV AnON MATTERS

Shakopee continued from page 1

have lived all of my life on one side of First Avenue orthe other," she says, "and so have all my family, andmy husband's family, too!" But what she and a growingnumber of Shakopee residents are concerned about isthe imminent loss of a dozen or so of the town's olderbuildings on First Avenue, Shakopee's main street, forconstruction of new retail stores and a senior housingcomplex.

Located in what are called Block 3 and Block 4 on thenorth side of First Avenue, the buildings in questionhave no designated historic status. Among them are atwo-story gable-roofed structure that was once a liverystable; another was the town's first jail. A row of brickstorefront structures display Victorian architecturalfeatures such as arched windows, corbelled brickwork,ornamental metal cornices and terra cotta friezes.Across the street the more dense and continuous twoand three story storefronts are intact but somewhataltered at street level. In concert with these buildingsmay be the makings of a commercial historic district.

The new development project has been planned by thecity for over three years, and has strong support of themayor and council. Those who are objecting now, saycity leaders, are coming at the "eleventh hour" and toolate to stop.

According to Michael Leek, Director of CommunityDevelopment for the City of Shakopee, city leadershipconsiders saving some of the buildings would undulycomplicate the site disposition process, being that it ismuch easier to sell one cleared two block parcel thansmaller, scattered ones.

The Block 3 and 4 plan is a joint effort of the ScottCounty Housing and Redevelopment Authority and theShakopee Economic Development Authority. Studiesof rehabilitation costs done by the two groups for oneof the buildings, the former livery stable, were too highfor feasible development. Some developmentcomponents of the planning study are being preparedby the Minneapolis architectural firm Symmes MainiMcKee Associates and Winsor Faricy Architects ofSaint Paul.

At this time, all or most all of the store buildings thathalf fill each of the two blocks have been vacated, andthe city is taking title to the land parcels. If all goes asplanned, demolition could commence in a few monthswith new construction to follow.

10.

Several photos in Ms. Case's scrapbook show FirstAvenue's early days with each side of the street solidlylined for several blocks with ornate-trimmed Victorianstorefronts, with ambling citizens all forming a sedatestreetscape. But some time after those pictures weretaken, development of many large grain mills up anddown the Minnesota River serving the vast croplandsof western Minnesota resulted in an unending streamof grain trucks hurtling through Shakopee's FirstAvenue, making it a less desirable place for retail trade.

Concern with improving traffic flow led highwayengineers and local officials to recently construct twoby-passes around this part of downtown Shakopee, withstoreowners fearing loss of customers as a result. Thissituation is what may have caused city government todevise a plan to discard underperforming olderbuildings in favor of what other cities were doing toattract large scale development.

The plan did call for building facades to "maintain thehistorical and architectural flavor of the downtownarea." Proposed sketches of new building facades depictgeneralized features of gable roof pediments, archedground tloorwindows that generically simulate historicbuilding massing but without articulated andproportioned features that would give the eye more thaninfinitesimally limited retinal response. ShakopeeValley News columnist Joel Cole described this designin a January 23, 1997 commentary as: "a three-story'ShakoBlock' that will fit snugly into land requirementsbut do nothing to recapture the historic and culturalstrength of the structures it will replace."

Cole's newspaper article may have been prompted by aguest commentary article in the Shakopee Valley Newswritten by Deirdre A. Hultgren, a Minneapolis residentwho knows Shakopee from her father's work in thetown. She questions, "How could a city can tear downplaces that give it character and individuality in a timewhen mundane and predictable strip malls are going upeverywhere we turn?" Hultgren asks the citizens ofShakopee to tell the City Council to save this part oftheir city's history, envisioning tourism that could beattracted by a historic river town such as Shakopee.

Shakopee Valley News also carried a recent front pagestory unrelated to the historic building issue itself thattells of something the city planners should know.Headlined "Quiet- but Busy," the news story reportsthat the downtown has not lost traffic due to the

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Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

FEBRUARY 1997

Shakopee continued from previous page

bypasses as some had feared. In fact, severalbusinesses have noticed more people coming todowntown. The term "user-friendly" is at least onedowntown business-owner's description of the areanow. Another storeowner notes, "Now you can hardlyfind a parking place. And when you have to cross FirstAvenue (on foot), you can."

That could put Shakopee in the position of tearing downthese old buildings just at the time when they could berediscovered for the type of "user-friendly" retail nowre-emerging that finds buildings of historic character tobe economic assets.

Among the many issues upon which conservatives andliberals disagree, government tops the list. This issueof these Shakopee buildings, however, scratches out alittle bit of common ground. Conservatives favorgovernment that moves slowly, so less gets done.Liberals fear a government in motion that refuses tostop.

Robert Roscoe

Place NamesShakopee, the county seat of Scott County, wasfounded in 1851 by Thomas A. Holmes who setup an Indian trading post and gave it the nameof a Sioux chief who was living there at the time.The Sioux had called the area "Tintonwon",meaning "the village on the prairie. "

Shakopee- derived from "Shakpay," meaning"six"- was the hereditary name for asuccession of chiefs, one of them calledShakpedan (Little Six) who was executed byhanging at Fort Snelling for participating in themassacres of 1862.

Place Names are derived from the bookMinnesota Geographic Names by WarrenUpham, with an introduction by James TaylorDunn.

ADDENDA .•.COMO HARRIET STREETCARS

Regarding last month's article on the Como Harriet Streetcars, we wish to provide more information on operatinghours.The streetcars operate on weekends from May to October and daily beginning Memorial Day weekendthrough Labor Day. The streetcars operate until dusk (or 5:00 p.m. in October only), beginning at 6:30 p.m. onweekends and 12:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

PRESERV ATION ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is a membership organization. Your contributions make our workpossible. And they are tax deductible. Join today! Fill out the coupon and mail it with your contribution to:

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota275 Market Street, Suite 54

Minneapolis, MN 55405-1621

Name _

Address _

City/State ZIP _

Membership CategoriesStudentIndividual

FamilyNon-profit/Government OrganizationsBusiness/Professional

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Phone (home) (work) _ In addition to my membership, I am enclosing an additionalgift of $ to help the Preservation Alliance.

I I

PRESERV AnON MATTERS

Our mailbag served up two letters with correct WhereIs It? answers.

Congratulations to Randall S. Pemberton of Blue Earthwho correctly identified last month's Where Is It? asthe Chubb House in Fairmont. Mr. Pemberton tells usthat the Chubb House is "the oldest house in Fairmont,which my neighbors over there have the good taste andjudgment to preserve and restore."

And congratulations to Thomas Arneson ..•M.D., whowrote: "Not only do I know where it is, it's in the townwhere I grew up. And this fall I was pleased to see itwas included in the projects honored by the PreservationAlliance."

"The Chubb House preservation is a great grass rootssuccess story , and Fairmont is much richer for th~intrepid band that decided the city needs connectionsto its origins more than it needed a small auxiliaryparking lot next to the Court House!"

He continues: "The group took a risk in assuming thedebt to buy the property, but their faith was rewarded

Preservation Alliance of MinnesotaInternational Market Square, Suite 54Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405-1621(612) 338-6763

WHERE IS IT?Minnesota properties listed on the

National Register of Historic Places,with photographs supplied by the

Minnesota Historical Society

when a wealthy person in the area died this past yearand left enough money to pay the entire debt! The storysticks in my mind as (yet another example) of theimportance of visionaries. When a dream iscourageously and creatively described, advocates oftenmaterialize- thank goodness!"

Look for more about the Chubb House and itsextraordinary story in an upcoming issue.

For this month's Where Is It?: Try a wry, fun guess,and tell us what comes to mind.

NON PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMinneapolis, MNPermit No. 672