Kasota building in 1927 Gateway District
The Gateway District of
Minneapolis is centered at the convergence of
Hennepin Avenue,
Nicollet Avenue, and
Washington Avenue. Its borders are not officially designated or recognized, but are visible as the
Mississippi River to the northeast, Cedar Lake Trail and the railroad tracks to the northwest, Fifth Avenue South to the southeast. and Fourth Street South to the southwest. The district includes a significant part of the Downtown West neighborhood and abuts the North Loop.
In the early years of Minneapolis, the neighborhood was called "Bridge Square", because it lay at the southern foot of the
Hennepin Avenue Bridge and it was the commercial hub and government seat of the growing city. An early courthouse and city hall were located in a triangle-shaped building in between Washington, Hennepin and, Nicollet from 1873 to 1912. Some of the early permanent structures on the West side of Minneapolis were built directly across from that building.
The "Gateway District" was given such a name in hopes of revitalizing it at the turn of the 20th century, hoping to restore its status as the gateway into Minneapolis. Both the
Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot, also known as Great Northern Station, was a passenger railroad station which served Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978. It was located on Hennepin Avenue next to the Hen ...
and the
Milwaukee Road Depot
Milwaukee Road Depot can refer to the following former and active train stations used by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad:
Idaho
* Avery Depot – located on the mainline from Chicago, Illinois to Tacoma, Washington
Iowa ...
were situated in the area, and numerous hotels and office buildings were constructed, including the
Nicollet Hotel, the Hotel Vendome, the St. James Hotel, the Boston Block, and the Metropolitan building. A Depression-era renewal attempt brought the
Minneapolis Main Post Office (1933) and Pioneer Square, the former of which survives.
The area remains as the historic core of the city, although much of that history was demolished in an
Urban Renewal
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...
act during the late 1950s. The
Metropolitan Building, demolished in 1961, is the most lamented loss of the area.
The area now boasts some of the city's finest examples of
modern architecture.
Voya Financial currently occupies the former
Northwestern National Life Insurance Building (1965), which occupies four blocks of the Gateway. The
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis was located in a suspension building (1973) at the terminus of the Nicollet Mall. It is now located on the Mississippi riverbank across Hennepin Avenue from the central Minneapolis
post office.
With the construction of the new Central Library for the
Minneapolis Public Library system, the old gateway has become a target for developers and planners. Former Minneapolis mayor
R. T. Rybak
Raymond Thomas Rybak Jr. (born November 12, 1955) is an American politician, journalist, businessman, and activist who served as the List of mayors of Minneapolis, 46th mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014. In the 2001 election Rybak defeated i ...
had proposed a park, trees and a 10-year action plan for
Washington Avenue.
On Feb. 4, 2015, city planners recommended that the City Council approve selling the former Nicollet Hotel block to United Properties, a main holding of the
Pohlads, who also own the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
. The development is a 36-story tower dubbed "The Gateway," that will serve as the headquarters for RBC wealth management and contain a Four-Seasons hotel.
[Minneapolis Star Tribune digital edition – Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 http://www.startribune.com/business/291045411.html]
See also
*
History of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is the largest city by population in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The origin and growth of the city was spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United States military presence ...
*
Skid row
References
External links
Mpls: Long Gone: The Gateway hundreds of photos of old buildings in the area since demolished
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Geography of Minneapolis
Former populated places in Minnesota
Former populated places in Hennepin County, Minnesota
Skid rows
