Downtown Minneapolis

The spirit of a vibrant city at a critical time, recalled in images and words that delight those who experienced it--and those who wish they had.

Downtown Minneapolis evolved from a collection of modest frame buildings on the banks of the Mississippi River to the high-rise center of a modern American metropolis. With a burgeoning milling industry powering the local economy, the early frame structures soon gave way to substantial brick and masonry buildings, lining the streets of a bustling 19th-century commercial district. Downtown continued to prosper during the early years of the 20th century, aided by advances in transportation and communications. The heart of the city held its own during the Great Depression and World War II, but the postwar era brought new challenges as a suburban boom threatened the city's economic foundation. Enterprising local leaders responded with innovative developments to meet these challenges, and a reinvigorated downtown took on a new role as the site of a dynamic new residential community, now home to nearly 40,000 city residents.

Let architecture critic Larry Millett be your guide to downtown Minneapolis, whose architectural history displays the uniqueness of this far-from-identical "twin" city. AIA Guide to Downtown Minneapolis includes walking tours for Nicollet Mall, the Warehouse District, the central riverfront, and the Elliot Park and Loring Park neighborhoods. Each tour is copiously illustrated with current and historic photographs and paired with detailed maps. This deeply informative guidebook is perfect for tourists discovering the Twin Cities and residents exploring what is right next door. Larry Millett has written extensively about Twin Cities architecture, notably in AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, Twin Cities Then and Now, and Lost Twin Cities.

Flavored with contemporary newspaper quotations and illustrated with period images, this political history inspires greater understanding of a preeminent American city.

Presents a galaxy of portraits of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul as they evolved over 150 years from frontier river towns into the dominant cultural and economic centers of the Upper Midwest.

Minnesota's capital city was given a lofty identity when young Catholic priest Lucien Gaultier built a modest log chapel in a wilderness clearing and named it for his patron saint. St. Paul's modern downtown would later take shape at this very site. In the mid-19th century, St. Paul's strategic location at the head of navigation on the Mississippi River was naturally suited as a way station for goods and a hub for settlers pouring into the Upper Midwest. While St. Paul had to relinquish its ranking as Minnesota's largest city to its twin, Minneapolis, the city remains at the center of state politics as Minnesota's state capital. Following World War II, a suburban boom weakened the business district, and downtown St. Paul fell into decline. Over the last 40 years, however, St. Paul's downtown has been reinvented as a major sports, entertainment, and cultural center.