Welcome to HistoricTwinCities.com!
So many of us pass by historic architecture and landmarks daily while commuting to work, dropping the kids off at school or even during a night out on the town. History is all around us, yet many people don’t give it a second thought.
For me, local history has always been a passion. Since the time I was a young kid growing up in the Como Park area in St. Paul, I’ve been fascinated by the stories behind old houses, buildings and historic sites in the Twin Cities. In short, I’m kind of a history nerd. Just ask my wife how many ‘interesting’ local history facts I have shared with her over the years. I believe every place has a story to tell. The intent of this site is to share some of those fascinating stories and unique images.
Having lived in the Twin Cities all my life, I’ve had the good fortune to become very familiar with some of the area’s most historic buildings. My story begins in the early 1970s, when I was baptized at St. Bernard’s Catholic church in St. Paul’s North End. In the 1980s I would go on to attend high school there as well. This beautiful church was built between 1905 and 1914 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During my college years at the University of Minnesota I attended classes in a number of the beautiful buildings located in the University’s Old Campus Historic District. Most of these structures were built before the turn of the 20th century.
About the same time, my sister lived at 534 Summit Avenue where she worked as a nanny for the family that owned the home. I had the opportunity to regularly visit her there and even tended bar at some social events held in the home. This beautiful house was built in 1884 and was once owned by the President of West Publishing (now Thompson Reuters), Homer P. Clark.
After finishing college in the early 1990s, I worked for the State of Minnesota in the Centennial Office Building located on the Capitol mall in St. Paul. I routinely made trips to State Capitol building visiting the Governor’s office, the Senate and House chambers, as well as, many of the legislative offices located in the building. If that isn’t interesting enough for you, this was all during the Ventura administration. Talk about historic!
More recently I was a parishioner at the Cathedral of St. Paul where my wife and I were married and where we baptized our first daughter. Currently, my family and I are members of the Church of St. Peter in the Mendota Historic District. The Historic Church of St. Peter’s is the oldest Catholic church in Minnesota having been built in 1853.
As you can see, historic architecture in the Twin Cities has been a large part of my life. Those experiences and a desire to develop an outlet for my interest in local history, photography and a passion to share some of these stories have been the driving force behind the creation of this website.
Join me as I visit some of the historic places located within the seven county metropolitan area of the Twin Cities. Along the way, I hope this site both educates and entertains, and keeps history alive for all that visit.
Andrew Elm
