The Roots of the Arts & Crafts and Prairie School: John Ruskin’s Six Precepts of Architecture

St. John's Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

We will explore the history and philosophy behind the Arts and Crafts and Prairie School movements by focusing on six rules for architecture stated by John Ruskin in an 1854 lecture. Architectural historian Richard Kronick will show how several A&C and Prairie School architects responded to and expressed Ruskin’s ideas. He will also provide a […]

“Pothole Confidential: My Life as Mayor of Minneapolis” with R.T. Rybak

St. John's Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

Join R.T. Rybak for a talk about Pothole Confidential: My Life as Mayor of Minneapolis. In a memoir that is at once a political coming-of-age story and a behind-the-scenes look at the running of a great city, three-term Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak takes readers into the highs and lows and the daily drama of a […]

U.S. Bank Stadium

U.S. Bank Stadium 401 Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, United States

What vessel has docked in the eastern edge of Downtown Minneapolis, near the bend in the Mississippi River? A Viking longship? A tricked-out Jawa Sandcrawler? Or US Bank Stadium, the new home of the Minnesota Vikings? Join us for a "special event" private group tour of this amazing facility, plus learn how its design was […]

$14

Southwest Minneapolis 1930: From the Air

St. John's Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, pioneer aerial photographer Joe Quigley was hired to take images of all Minneapolis schools. These remarkable high-resolution photos have been in the school district files for 80 years. Join local historians Michael Wilson and Tom Balcom to view the Southwest neighborhoods circa 1930.

Exploring the Corner of 43rd and Upton

43rd and Upton 4300 Upton Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, United States

This event was originally scheduled for June 16. We will dig into the history of who has worked and lived in the buildings clustered around 43rd and Upton. Also, we'll touch briefly on: competition with the 44th and France business district, aesthetics (including having the business district set on the descent of a hill), and […]

Story Awakening at Bde Maka Ska

St. John's Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

Join us as a Dakota historian speaks on the Dakota cultural perspective/name restoration of Bde Maka Ska, including the new public art installation (completion date, late summer). The Minneapolis City public arts project at Bde Maka Ska celebrates the history of Heyata Otunwe, a village at Bde Maka Ska/Lake Calhoun (1829-1839) and honors Mahpiya Wicasta/Cloud […]

The Hamiltons of Lake Calhoun

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd 4801 France Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

Most known for Widow Hamilton's guest house overlooking Lake Calhoun (now called Bde Maka Ska), where Henry David Thoreau stayed in June 1861, members of the Hamilton family lived at times on both the south and west shores of the lake for more than 40 years. Explore this untold history of early days before the […]

Tracing the History of Real Estate Covenants in Minneapolis

Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd 4801 France Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

Racial covenants were used to bar people of a given race, ethnic origin, or religion, from buying or occupying property in Minneapolis. These discriminatory deeds underpinned an invisible system of American apartheid. This project, Mapping Prejudice, is headed up by a team of activists and scholars who are researching the city covenants with the help […]

Tour of Minneapolis Central Library Special Collections

Minneapolis Central Library 300 Nicollet Mall, 4th floor, Minneapolis, MN, United States

One of the area's best local history resources, the collection covers all aspects of the history of Minneapolis and Hennepin County and includes books, photographs, school yearbooks, archival and manuscript collections, periodicals, maps, postcards, and thousands of files of newspaper clippings. We will get an inside view of their collections including the reading room, their […]

Robert E. Fischer and Sand Souvenirs at Minnehaha Creek

St. John's Episcopal Church, Linden Hills 4201 Sheridan Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, United States

Robert Fischer was the most unusual artist ever inspired by Minnehaha Falls. From about 1900 until 1940, he created tens of thousands of delicate sand designs in clear glass containers, using nothing but the natural colored sands found in Minnehaha Park. Only a few of these still exist. Fischer lived in the Falls neighborhood for […]