Glenwood Avenue in Minneapolis hosted my first professional studio. The building’s number was 14 ½, which sounds magical nowadays, and was nestled on a corner of downtown that boasted storefronts whose vibrant history had faded long before I took up residence. My studio was on the second floor in the middle of the block. The first floor storefronts were only ever partially rented, with a Chinese restaurant, a massage parlor (Hanako’s Sauna) and a hat shop. The rest of the stores were vacant, and the block looked a bit blighted. However, from my studio window one could see a bustling corner of the city. This view is and was the South West corner of Block E, at First Avenue and Seventh Street. On the right side of this photo is the Schubert Theater which has now been moved to Hennepin Avenue. Other than the First Avenue night club (not in the photo), none of the buildings exist anymore. They were razed to build the Target Arena and kick off the development of Block E.
8 thoughts on “The View from My Studio Window”
This is great. Looking forward to seeing more.
I am finding more than I thought I had. This should be fun.
Thanks Jesse.
This one may be just a bit before my time. I moved to Minneapolis in the mid-1980’s but was largely trapped in the suburbs for the first couple years. When I finally started to get downtown more I was on the other side for another couple years. I’m not sure I recognize where this was taken. Seems every city has an abandoned theater that looks like this one, so I’m not sure if I recognize it or not. And the cars look like they are from 1954, not 1984.
Fun series. Hope to see more.
Stay tuned, Jim. I have a lot more to share. I’ll give you a heads up. Good one about the ubiquitous abandoned theater. It’s now the Cowles Center for dance. The cars do look older than the 80s. Probably hold overs from the 70s.
Wondering if you have photos of Hussy Hatter’s? That was my grandfather’s shop and while I can remember the front of the shop I can’t quite remember where and how it fit into the block and surrounding area.
Wondering if you have photos of Hussy Hatter’s? That was my grandfather’s shop and while I can remember the front of the shop I can’t quite remember where and how it fit into the block and surrounding area.
I may have photos of the block which would include Hussy Hatter’s. I am in the process of scanning my old negatives. If I come across any, I’ll let you know. They would be from the early to mid 80s.