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Longfellow in Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Museum in the Streets

— 27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure —

 
 
The Museum in the Streets: 27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By McGhiever, May 26, 2019
1. The Museum in the Streets: 27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure marker
Inscription.  
History of Lake Street
When the City of Minneapolis was established in 1856, Lake Street was a mile beyond the southern boundary of the city.

Early Lake Street was home to dance halls, lumberyards, churches, horsesheds and blacksmiths, tin shops, drug stores, laundries, and boarding houses — providing a glimpse of the future commercial and industrial corridor that was to come.

Two major forms of transportation spurred the area's growth: Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (CM&StP) tracks laid one block north of Lake Street between 1879 and 1881, and streetcar lines, which reached Lake Street in the 1880s.

Lake Street's future as an important corridor was secured when, in 1888, it was chosen as the route on which to construct the cross-river bridge linking Minneapolis and St. Paul.

27th and Lake: Industry and Transportation Infrastructure
Before settlement, American Indians, and later soldiers from Fort Snelling, passed through this area as they traveled between the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and the Falls of St. Anthony. Two events
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early in the development of the City of Minneapolis set the stage for the area's future: First, in 1865 the Minneapolis and Cedar Valley Railroad Company—forerunner to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (CM&StP)—chose to lay its railroad tracks parallel to Fort Snelling Road. Second, in 1873 Minneapolis Harvester Works established the first of several industrial manufacturing companies that existed near what is now the intersection of Minnehaha and Lake.

Two years after the City of Minneapolis annexed the area in 1883, 27th and Lake had emerged as a center of commercial and retail activity, with six stores centered in the area. In 1886, the streetcar line from downtown reached Lake Street along 27th Avenue, and even though "Lake Street was a rutted path and the cows outnumbered the people." the area was growing so rapidly that additions were required to the local public school.

Between 1900 and 1920, the area boomed. The Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company (later Minneapolis-Moline), the Twin City Rapid Transit Company Car Yard, and Toro Manufacturing Company joined the CM&StP Railroad in providing sources of employment to the growing neighborhood.

These years also saw the construction of several buildings at 27th and Lake that would anchor the area's commercial and retail activity for the next century, including the International
Marker in front of the Volunteers of America building image. Click for full size.
Photographed By McGhiever, June 1, 2019
2. Marker in front of the Volunteers of America building
Order of Odd Fellows Building (1909) and the Coliseum Building (1917).

The housing and population boom went hand-in-hand with the tremendous growth of the 27th and Lake commercial district, and by the end of the 1920s, nearly 80 percent of the present housing stock was built. This once sleepy, farm-dominated township had become a bustling community of industry and vibrant commercial and residential districts.

To follow The Museum in the Streets, maps are available at these locations:
Gandhi Mahal - 3009 27th Avenue South
The Hub Bike Co-op - 3020 Minnehaha Avenue
Peace Coffee - 3262 Minnehaha Avenue South
Longfellow Community Council - 2727 26th Avenue South
Wells Fargo - 2218 East Lake Street

Historia de Lake Street
Al establecerse la Ciudad de Minneapolis en 1856, Lake Street estaba a una milla de la frontera sur de la ciudad.

Por aquel entonces en Lake Street se encontraban salones de baile, almacenes de madera, iglesias, cobertizos para caballos, herreros, tiendas de lata, farmacias, lavanderías y pensiones... así vislumbrando el futuro corredor comercial e industrial que llegaría a ser.

Dos principales modos de transporte estimularon el crecimiento de la zona: vías férreas de Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (CM&StP) una cuadra al norte de Lake Street entre
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1879 y 1881, y líneas de tranvía, que llegaron a Lake Street en los años 1880.

El futuro de la Calle Lake como corredor importante se aseguró tras ser elegido en 1888 como ruta en la cual se construiría el puente fluvial conectando Minneapolis a St Paul en 1888.

27th y Lake: Infrastructura Industrial y de Transporte
Antes de la colonización, Indios Americanos, y luego soldados de Fort Snelling, pasaron por esta zona en su viaje entre los Ríos Mississippi y Minnesota y Falls of St. Anthony. Dos eventos en el desarrollo temprano de la ciudad de Minneapolis prepararon el futuro de la zona: Primero, en 1865 la compañía ferroviaria Minneapolis and Cedar Valley Railroad Company—precursora de Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (CM&StP)—eligieron instalar las vías férreas en forma paralela a Fort Snelling Road. Segundo, en 1873 Minneapolis Harvester Works estableció la primera de varias empresas de manufactura industrial que existieron cerca de lo que es ahora la intersección de Minnehaha y Lake.

Dos años después de que la Ciudad de Minnapolis anexara la zona en 1883, 27th y Lake emergió como centro de actividad comercial y minorista, con sus seis tiendas. En 1886, la línea de tranvía desde el centro llegaba a Lake Street por 27th Avenue, y aunque "Lake Street era un camino desnivelado y habían más vacas que personas," el área crecía tan rápidamente que se obligó la expansión de la escuela pública local.

La zona explotó entre 1900 y 1920. La manufacturera Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company (luego Minneapolis-Moline), el depósito Twin City Rapid Transit Company Car Yard, y Toro Manufacturing Company se juntaron a la ferroviaria CM&StP para dar empleo a los del creciente vecindario.

En estos años también se construyeron varios edificios en 27th y Lake que aseguraron la actividad comercial y minorista de la zona por 100 años más, entre ellos el International Order of Odd Fellows Building (1909) y el Coliseum Building (1917).

El auge en población y viviendas surgió junto con el crecimiento del distrito comercial de 27th y Lake, y al terminar los 1920, se construyeron casi el 80 por ciento de las viviendas existentes. Este anterior pueblo adormecido lleno de fincas se convertió en una activa comunidad industrial con dinámicos distritos comerciales y residenciales.
 
Erected 2012 by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number Map.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceRailroads & StreetcarsSettlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets®: Minneapolis, Minnesota series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
 
Location. 44° 56.896′ N, 93° 13.822′ W. Marker is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. It is in Longfellow. Marker is at the intersection of Lake Street and 29th Avenue South, on the right when traveling east on Lake Street. Marker is in front of the Volunteers of America building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2825 East Lake Street, Minneapolis MN 55406, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 2916 East Lake: East Lake Branch Library (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 2721-23 East Lake: Lake Theater (about 400 feet away); 2730 East 31st Street: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (about 600 feet away); 2629 East Lake: Minnehaha Grill (about 700 feet away); 2700 East Lake: Coliseum Building / Freeman's Department Store (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wonderland Amusement Park (approx. 0.2 miles away); Longfellow School (approx. 0.2 miles away); 3012 Minnehaha Avenue South: Lauritzen Wagon and Blacksmith Shop (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minneapolis.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 333 times since then and 20 times this year. Last updated on January 4, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on December 7, 2019, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 29, 2024