On this date in 1956, Southdale Shopping Center, the first fully enclosed shopping mall, opens in Edina. Austrian war refugee and architect Victor Gruen designed the mall, which he hoped would become “the town square that has been lost since the coming of the automobile.
Architecture
1847-10-01
On this date in 1847, Ard Godfrey arrives at the Falls of St. Anthony. Godfrey brought his family to Minnesota from their home in Maine in response to a request from Franklin Steele to build a sawmill at the Falls. He was one of the first permanent settlers in the area and built his home, Minneapolis’s […]
2017-10-10
On this date in 2017, the Stanford Newel House, located at 251 Dayton Avenue in St. Paul, is left in ruins after a massive fire. During the fire, part of the home’s roof collapsed and the second floor fell into the first floor. About 60 firefighters responded to the fire whose smoke was visible from […]
1884-07-21
On this date in 1884, the West Hotel in Minneapolis opens. The hotel was designed by Leroy S. Buffington who is credited as being the father of the modern skyscraper. The West Hotel was Minneapolis’ first grand hotel. It included 407 luxuriously furnished rooms and 140 baths. It featured an lavish, cavernous lobby that was […]
1882-07-02
On this date in 1882, the Hotel Lafayette built by railroad tycoon James J. Hill opens on Minnetonka Beach. The 700-foot, Queen Anne-style hotel boasted five floors, some 300 rooms and sat on a peninsula, giving every room a view of the lake. The hotel’s amenities included a billiard hall, bowling alley and saloon. The […]
