Frogtown in Saint Paul in Ramsey County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Welcome to Victoria Street Station
The Frogtown and Rondo community that surround Victoria Street Station are rich in history and culture, elements of which live on today.
The historic Rondo neighborhood was heavily influenced by the railroad industry. There was a time when a quarter of all African American men in the neighborhood worked for the railroads as sleeping car porters, Red Cap porters, dining car waiters and cooks. Throughout the 20th Century, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters occupied a central place in both African American politics and community building, helping lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights movement.
East of the station, at 825 W. University Ave., is the Victoria Theater, which opened in 1916 as a neighborhood silent movie house. The theater was later reborn as a cabaret-style nightclub with a live jazz dance band, singing comedians and a chorus line. In 1927, the house band recorded a version of "Moonshiner's Dane - Part One" that is included in the Smithsonian Anthology of American Folk Music. The theater building was closed during prohibition and served as a lighting fixture store through the 1990s. Today, the Victoria Theater Arts Initiative is working to restore Victoria Theater as a venue for arts and community building.
Frogtown and Rondo residents appreciate and celebrate their community history and invite you to do the same.
[Photo captions, from top to bottom, read]
Many African American men who lived in St. Paul's Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods worked in the railroad industry as porters, waiters or cooks.
(Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society)
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In 1927, the Victoria Theater house band recorded "Moonshiner's Dane - Part One," included in the Smithsonian Anthology of American Folk Music.
(Photo credit: Kurt Gegenhuber)
Erected 2014 by MetroTransit.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Asian Americans • Hispanic Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 44° 57.347′ N, 93° 8.27′ W. Marker is in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County. It is in Frogtown. Marker is on University Avenue west of Victoria Street, on the left when traveling east. Marker is at the west end of the westbound Green Line light rail station. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Paul MN 55104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. From Service to Solidarity (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Roots in Rondo (about 700 feet away); 10,000 Men Called George (about 700 feet away); Karen People in Rondo / Somalis in Rondo (approx. 0.4 miles away); History of Rondo / Redlining Rondo (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to St. Peter Claver Catholic Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to Dale Street Station (approx. half a mile away); Legends of Rondo Neighborhood (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Paul.
Regarding Welcome to Victoria Street Station. The light rail station has several reliefs depicting history of the neighborhood.
Also see . . . Frogtown Neighborhood Association. (Submitted on December 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 516 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 7, 2014, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Close photos of the remaining reliefs • Can you help?