Join the Linden Hills History Study Group to hear Richard Kronick tell the story of George Elmslie, chief draftsman from 1895 to 1909 for Louis Sullivan, Chicago’s leading architect. Sullivan was dubbed “Prophet of Modernism,” but Richard will show that, for eight well-known buildings that came out of Sullivan’s office, most of the credit belongs to George Elmslie. After leaving Sullivan in 1910, Elmslie moved to Minnesota and joined the practice of William Purcell and George Feick, Jr. Meanwhile, as Sullivan’s fame grew, Elmslie’s contribution became an inconvenient truth and was nearly erased from history.

We will host Richard’s talk virtually through Zoom. We will send all who are on the LHHSG email list a link to join the Zoom session for December 7 at 7:00 p.m. If we do not have your email address, please call 612-926-0646 or email [email protected] so that you can participate.

Richard will present this talk in the 1911 Oscar and Katherine Owre house in Minneapolis, designed by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie, and the presentation will include a brief tour of the house.

All are welcome.

[VIRTUAL] Antisemitism in Minneapolis

Minneapolis Jews, like their African-American and Japanese-American fellow residents, faced serious discrimination and social exclusion in employment, housing, and some public accommodations. Indeed, one of the leading investigative journalists and essayists of the era, Carey McWilliams, noted in his Common Ground article “Minneapolis: The Curious Twin” (Autumn 1946), “One might even say, with a measure of justification, that Minneapolis is the capitol [sic] of anti-Semitism in the United States.” In the next year, led by Mayor Hubert Humphrey and a wide coalition of groups, the City Council passed among the first open housing and fair employment ordinances in the country. Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, will help us understand the history of antisemitism in Minneapolis.

We will host Steve’s talk virtually through Google Meet. We will send all who are on the LHHSG email list a link to join the Google Meet session for November 5 at 7:00 p.m. If we do not have your email address, please call 612-926-0646 or email [email protected] and give us the email address where you’d like the Google Meet link to be sent, so that you can participate.
Everyone is welcome.

[VIRTUAL] Closing Time

Authors and historians, Andy Sturdevant and Bill Lindeke, will take us on an entertaining journey into the highs, lows, bright spots, and dark corners of the Twin Cities’ most famous and infamous drinking establishments —- history viewed from the barstool.

This is a virtual event and will be hosted on Google Meet. For the link to join, contact us at 612-926-0646 or [email protected].

Women’s Right to Vote with a Minneapolis Perspective

In 1919, the Minnesota Legislature recognized women’s right to vote in presidential elections. And in 1920, after the U.S. Legislature passed the 19th Amendment and two-thirds of the states ratified the amendment, women gained the right to vote. This right to vote took decades of discussion, protest, and persuasion. Historian Linda Lounsbury will examine the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the Women’s Right to Vote focusing on the local scene, and leaders including Linden Hills’ Clara Ueland.

[VIRTUAL] Walking Tour: Third Wave of Linden Hills Development

We are in a new era in which any property in the neighborhood is a potential site for new construction, up to three units per lot. We will view recently-built examples alongside houses from the late 19th century through what was presumed to be the full “build-out” of Linden Hills in the 20th century. What has influenced development and how has the neighborhood’s character evolved? First Wave was initial land claims, development schemes, and early residents through self-identity as a community ca. 1902. Second Wave was the subsequently built community described in the 2001 book Down at the Lake. Third Wave precursors overlapped the late Second Wave: Infill of last open lots, initial tear-downs introducing disparate styles, and businesses less
connected to serving the immediate community.

This talk will be conducted via Google Meet.

[VIRTUAL] I-35W and Minneapolis: Community Impact

Approximately 25,000 residents were displaced by the construction of I-35W that went between Crosstown, 2nd Ave and Stevens Ave in South Minneapolis. The public works construction project began in 1956 and was completed in 1967. Greg Donofrio, director of the U of MN Heritage Studies and Public History Program, and U of MN public historian Denise Pike have done extensive research on the building of 35W and are gathering stories from displaced residents. They will share their findings.

This program will be held on Zoom. We will send all who are on the LHHSG email list a link to join the Zoom session. If we do not have your email address, please call 612-926-0646 or email [email protected] and give us the email address where you’d like the link to be sent, so that you can participate. Everyone is welcome.