Extreme Custom Choppers

Found along Highway 61 in Newport. I really loved the flames painted on this building. I must say, this is the first time I've ever seen flames painted on a building.

Four Horsemen

A portion of the Minnesota State Capitol building.

Careful Construction

I really like that they were able to build a taller building around the historic Porter Frye building. The older building reminds me of a tall castle.

Sidwalk Sale

What happens when you have a hardware store next to a thrift store, with both store have items for sale sitting out on the sidewalk....well, it looks like a bunch of junk from this angle. I'm sort of laughing at the photo because there are actually three store entrance doors among all of the goods for sale [there is a bird feed store inbetween]. Though with this tight angle, makes it tough to find the entrance. Really I liked how trustworthy both stores feel having so much of their inventory sitting out in the open. I guess it takes a small town attitude these days.

Tall Buildings

The IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis

AT&T Building

The 464 foot tall AT&T Building was completed in 1991 in downtown Minneapolis. It is the 14th tallest building in the city. It's personally one of my favorites to photograph because of the unusual top and all of that reflective glass.

There Was A Time

There was a time, when the 607 foot tall, Foshay Tower, now called "W Minneapolis - The Foshay" was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Today, it stands as the second tallest concrete structure, only to the Empire State Building is taller. Though, from this angle down on the street, to me, it appears as the tallest. If you look closely, the last stepping ring around the top, then it drops straight down, there is an observation deck that remains open. There have been some outstanding photos taken from the observation deck recently by some of the local bloggers. If you get a chance, stop by some of the daily photo blogs featured here on this site and do a search.

Morgan's Foods On The West Side

From the West Side neighborhood in St Paul, Morgan's Foods has been here for quite some time, 20 years or so. Though, as I'm looking at the photo, I honestly do not know if the business is still operational. The outside of the building has always been this shade of blue, and looks like it has been maintained well. I believe I've also had a good friend of mine work here in the past.

UPDATE: I've had a verbal confirmation, Morgan's Foods has been closed for a good five years or more. With that information known, I'm surprised to see the sign and building in such good condition.

Blue Sky, Blue Shack

A little bit of upkeep on this rusted roofed shack. Look closely, you can see blue tape around some of the windows and doors. Least that's what I believe is going on. How can the roof be that rusty, while the rest of the build is this brilliant blue color? They must be painting it....

Various Building Shapes

Along the Mississippi River in downtown St Paul you'll find this stretch of buildings.

St Matt's Tower

I really like the contrasting colors between the red brick and the blue sky in this one. I've had trouble in the past getting the sky to stay sky blue in some of my photos. I'm sure it has to do with the aperture setting, but that is a work in progress.

Spot The Differences - #2

If you scroll down to yesterday's daily photo and compare today's daily photo, there is a major contrast between the two downtown photos. Today's photo is of the historic downtown Hastings. The two downtown cities [Minneapolis and Hastings] are not very far from each other, about a 30 to 35 minute drive. Yet, they are night and day to each other in all shapes, sizes and anything architectural. Also, which downtown you would prefer to live by or visit says a lot about one's personality. Can you visit both? Sure, I'm sure we all do at times, but I'd be willing to bet, you prefer one over the other.

Minneapolis Halo

I've heard people refer to the top of this building in downtown Minneapolis as having a 'halo'.

Eagle Street

If you look closely, there is a green traffic sign, with an arrow pointing down the hill and a One Way sign on the other side of the road. The road is called Eagle Street with an appropriately named Eagle Street Grill & Pub.

Skateville Roller Rink

I'm coming close to three years this coming march of posting photos to the Twin Cities Daily Photo and the biggest problem I've run into is looking through my stock of photos that I have taken. There always pops a question into my mind....have I posted this photo before or not? This is one of those photos that I swear I've posted before, but I cannot find a trace of it in the past few months of archives. It's really a strange problem to have. However, if I have not posted a photo about Skateville Family Rollerskating Center in Burnsville this will be a new location I've taken a photo of. It was in the fall of 2008 as there is grass, but now snow yet to fall and it was before I took my Seattle trip.

Like A Stone

I've always liked this building and how it looks. The redness of the stone has always stood out as it obviously cannot be the natural color. But the blocks above the windows, look at the texture. It appears to have been chipped and carved, which it may have been, I don't know. Each block above the window looks different from the next.

I Am Thankful For

One thing I am thankful for living in a part of the country that does receive a lot of snow during the winter months is I do not have to shovel those stairs. It's been snowing here off and on the past week, nothing major yet, but enough to get out the shovels. I could only imagine how long it takes a person to clear all of those stairs of snow. Perhaps if I play my cards right, I can snap a photo of them being cleared of snow.

Three Panels

Another reflective gem of the AmHoist building. Does the slogan 'More bars in more places' come to mind?

Lower Downtown St Paul

With the Mississippi River to my back, the larger building in the background center is the St Paul Postal Office.

Exchange Building, Seeing Green

On the corner of Exchange Street and Cedar Street in downtown St Paul. At the end of summer, the green ivy nearly covers the entire front of the building. I will need to do a bit of history search on this building as the sign above the entrance reads 'Exchange Building'.

Contrasting Building Style

Just showing the difference in building materials, design and style many of the buildings have in downtown St Paul.

I've Always Wondered

This is the corner of the Macy's building in downtown St Paul. It used to be the Dayton's building until they were purchased by Target. The path on the left side of the photo, where it appears to be a long dark tunnel, and is actually a sidewalk....I've always wondered if one could drive a car down that sidewalk without hitting the side walls.

Till I Reach The Highest Ground

I found this fantastic view of the rooftops in downtown St Paul last week while walking around during the RNC 2008. One could return here at different times of the day, capturing different sun light variations and get a new shot each time. I will revisit this spot in the near future. For the locals, how many buildings can you recognize?

The Two Balcony's

The building on the right is The Saint Paul Hotel. Most photos you'll find of this great historic hotel are from the other side from where I am standing and the main lobby. It's quite the view from the other side as I've posted it here a couple of times on the Twin Cities Daily Photo. Today I'm on the East side of the building, and what has me puzzled is the two balcony's on what looks like the 5th floor. Why are they there and why are there only two of them? Was there more at one time in the buildings past?

Something Old, Something New

The historic Hamm Building meets the newly built Lawson building. Quite the different styles in building. While each is unique, which style do you prefer?

Lines And Distance

Looking up on the Yorktown building in downtown St Paul.

Where Are The Details

One thing I've always enjoyed about old style buildings is the details and craftsmanship that went into a building like this. They just don't make them like they used too. I seriously doubt that we'll ever see buildings made in similar to designs like this.

Seven Corners Hardware

Seven Corners Hardware, since 1933. Oddly enough, it's on the corner of Seventh Street and Chestnut Street in St Paul. Just on the fringe of downtown. To be fair, the landscape has changed quite a bit since it's opening, plus I do believe the intersection it gets it's name from is just out of frame to the left. That end of the block is home to many intersections coming together.

From what I hear, the floors creek when you walk on them, the aisles are very narrow. If you're looking for something uncommon, it's probably 10 feet high on a shelf, so it's best to ask for help. They pretty much will have everything you need, plus they are an authorized service center for many tool manufacturers.

Theme Day: My Favorite Corner Store

June's theme day in the City Daily Photo community was a bit different for me. My favorite local corner store is the theme, but I found myself in search of a favorite. There was a couple I visited growing up as a child, but nothing really stood out to me as a favorite. Or the ones I do remember are no longer a corner store or have been torn down. This posed a challenge. I was passing through the East Side neighborhood last month when this place caught my eye. I made several visits here when I was over at my cousin's house, which is on the same block as this corner store. The very aged sign says the name of the store is called 'Blue' for some reason that name doesn't ring a bell. It may have been called something else when I was much younger, or my cousin called it something else. I just can't recall right now.

Stop by the other cities participating in the June theme day via the links below the photo. Do remember that there are timezone differences between the other cities. Or you can head over to the portal page to see a thumbnail view of blogs that have posted their corner store photo.


Adelaide, Australia, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey, Albuquerque (NM), American Fork (UT), Anderson (SC), Ararat, Australia, Arradon, France, Ashton under Lyne, UK, Aspen (CO), Athens, Greece, Auckland, New Zealand, Austin (TX), Avignon, France, Barrow-in-Furness, UK, Barton (VT), Belgrade, Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia, Bellefonte (PA), Bicheno, Australia, Bogor, Indonesia, Boston (MA), Brookville (OH), Bucharest, Romania, Budapest, Hungary, Budapest, Hungary, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Canterbury, UK, Cape Town, South Africa, Cavite, Philippines, Chandler (AZ), Château-Gontier, France, Chateaubriant, France, Cheltenham, UK, Chennai, India, Chennai, India, Chicago (IL), Cleveland (OH), Coral Gables (FL), Corsicana (TX), Durban, South Africa, Edinburgh, UK, Evry, France, Folkestone, UK, Forks (WA), Fort Lauderdale (FL), Gainesville (FL), Geneva (IL), Glasgow, Scotland, Greenville (SC), Gun Barrel City (TX), Hamilton, New Zealand, Hangzhou, China, Haninge, Sweden, Helsinki, Finland, Hobart, Australia, Hyde, UK, Hyde, UK, Jackson (MS), Jefferson City (MO), Jogjakarta, Indonesia, Katonah (NY), Knoxville (TN), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kyoto, Japan, Larchmont (NY), Las Vegas (NV), Le Guilvinec, France, Lisbon, Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal, Lodz, Poland, London, UK, London, UK, Los Angeles (CA), Mainz, Germany, Manila, Philippines, Melbourne, Australia, Memphis (TN), Menton, France, Mexico City, Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, Minneapolis (MN), Minneapolis (MN), Misawa, Japan, Monroe (GA), Monte Carlo, Monaco, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Monterrey, Mexico, Moscow, Russia, Mumbai, India, Mumbai, India, Nancy, France, Nashville (TN), Nelson, New Zealand, New Delhi, India, New Orleans (LA), New York City (NY), New York City (NY), Norwich, UK, Oklahoma City (OK), Orlando (FL), Oslo, Norway, Owasso (OK), Paderborn, Germany, Paris, France, Pasadena (CA), Pasadena (CA), Perth, Australia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, Petoskey (MI), Pilisvörösvár, Hungary, Port Angeles (WA), Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Port Townsend (WA), Portland (ME), Posadas, Argentina, Prague, Czech Republic, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, Ramsey, Isle of Man, Reykjavik, Iceland, Riga, Latvia, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Rouen, France, Saarbrücken, Germany, Saigon, Vietnam, Saint Louis (MO), Saint Paul (MN), Salt Lake City (UT), San Antonio (TX), San Diego (CA), San Francisco (CA), San Francisco (CA), Seattle (WA), Seattle (WA), Selma (AL), Seoul, South Korea, Sequim (WA), Sesimbra, Portugal, Setúbal, Portugal, Singapore, Singapore, Sofia, Bulgaria, Springfield (IL), Stavanger, Norway, Stayton (OR), Stockholm, Sweden, Stouffville, Canada, Subang Jaya, Malaysia, Sunshine Coast, Australia, Sydney, Australia, Sydney, Australia, Sydney, Australia, Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Tacloban City, Philippines, Tel-Aviv, Israel, Terrell (TX), Terrell (TX), The Hague, Netherlands, Tokyo, Japan, Torino, Italy, Torun, Poland, Torun, Poland, Toulouse, France, Turin, Italy, Twin Cities (MN), Urayasu, Japan, Victoria, Canada, Vienna, Austria, Wailea (HI), Wassenaar, Netherlands, Wellington, New Zealand, West Paris (ME), West Sacramento (CA), Weston (FL), Willits (CA), Yardley (PA)

Two Different Elements

Where else can you find a beautiful, all glass building, with a river barge parked right in front of it? I'm across the Mississippi River with downtown St Paul nearly at my back for this shot. The two extremely different man made objects really contrast each other.

Entrance To The Hamm Building

The entrance to the Hamm Building which was featured in yesterday's post. I've always like the very large light fixtures attached to each side of the entrance.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Quincy, Massachusetts | Hampton, Virginia | Glasgow, Scotland

Hamm Building

The Hamm Building, originally owned by the Hamm Brewing family, was built in 1919 [though I've researched 1915 and 1920 as the built date]. The building rests on the original site of the St Paul Cathedral where there is a natural spring well, perfect for hand crafted beer. The Hamm Building is now on the National Register of Historic Places. From the documents I've read, the building housed one of the city's biggest illeagal gambling operations in the late 1920's to early 1930's. Today, the Hamm Building's main function is office space.

Tin Roof Rusted

When I saw the roof and all of the rust brewing out from the weather beaten building, it looked like a great photo opportunity. An old building with lots of character.

My Daily Photo Favorites: returning soon

Window Of Opportunity

Another view of the St Paul Athletic Club building from yesterday's post. The building was finished in 1917 and the craftsmanship that went into the building shows the beauty of the building in these windows. The top arch of the window sill stand out the most. I'm curious if there was ever anything placed in the circles of the arches. Then you'll notice the large pillars between the pairs of windows. Also something that looks like it could have been a railing at the bottom of each window. It looks like something belongs there. Now back to the top of the arches, above them all of the bricks you see laid side to side and you only see the butt end of the bricks. Very unique design. Why the small diamond shape between the window arches? So much work went into the windows alone on this building.

My Daily Photo Favorites: London, UK | Minneapolis, MN | Sitka, Alaska | Las Vegas, Nevada

St Paul Athletic Club

Yesterday marks my final photo from the St Paul Winter Carnival. I am however, still posting a photo from the St Paul area. The build your see with the mural on the side is the St Paul Athletic Club building. It was finished being built in 1917, it has 14 floors and is mainly residential from what I've been reading. Though this is a distance photo and I can't really tell for sure, but it appears that some of the windows on the top floors are broken. It could be reflection shadows, but if they are broken, this photo was taken in the winter and I couldn't imagine those floors are in use.

Excluding the mural, do you see the smiling face somewhere in the photo?

Downtown Architecture

This building on the corner of 4th Street and Robert caught my eye. I'd see the building quite often, but not until this day did I look at is closely and realize that it's built with bricks. What I'm puzzled about is, are they painted white bricks or are they made of a white brick mixture? In the very top left corner, the building you see is the 1st National Bank Building.

Who Knew We Had This Before New York?

Move over New York, it appears that St Paul has the Original Coney Island Cafe. They've been there since 1923! 444 St Peter Street is the location in downtown St Paul. I love the address next door, it reads 444 1/2. I'd be curious how many people from St Paul knew that they have the Original Coney Island Cafe in their own back yard? Oh the money that will be saved from not having to travel to New York.

My Daily Photo Favorites: New York, New York | New York, New York | New York, New York

Interesting Links Of the Day:

Things Are Looking Up

I'm standing on the sidewalk of 4th Street and Minnesota Street in downtown St Paul. As I look up, I see the 1st National Bank building. If you look in my logo I created at the top of this website, that building with the large "1" on it is the building I'm talking about. From this vantage point, it's all but gone. I'm really curious why they built this building with the large center piece missing? Was it build this way to use more natural light for those with inside office rooms? Was it a cost savings thing? Was it one of the towers added at a later date? The other side of the building is completely flat and does not mirror this side of the unique look.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Terrell, Texas | Stayton, Oregon | Mazatlan, Mexico | Regina, Canada | St Barthélemy, France | Paris, France

Office Or Apartments

What's your guess on the use of this building: Is it used for office space or has it been converted to apartments? The building location is downtown Minneapolis, but I don't know the function of the building. I really liked the front entrance and the brick pattern on the top of the building. Plus I just noticed that I've captured the reflection of a school bus in some of the windows.

My Daily Photo Favorites:

Minneapolis Squares

I'm not exactly sure which building this is in downtown Minneapolis, but I really liked all of the squares in the building. I didn't realize it at the time, but the antennas you can see in the bottom left corner belong to a local television station.

My Daily Photo Favorites: Minneapolis, Minnesota | Montego Bay, Jamaica | New York, New York

Interesting Links Of the Day: What Happens Behind The Scenes | Eye Trickery | Flat 360 degree panoramic photos

On Top Of The IDS Tower

This is the top half of the IDS Tower in downtown Minneapolis. One thing I've always personally liked about the building is the two small antenna that sit atop the roof. I call the small, because they look small from the ground. I'm curious how tall they really are.

You're thinking to yourself, this guy likes antennas? I have taken a course or two in electronics, my most enjoyable quarter was the course on television, radio, shortwave and anything to do with that subject matter. To sum it up, the course talked about how radio waves travel through the air, antennas pick up the signals and then how they are converted into items that we use on a daily basis. Ever since I finished that course in electronics, I've had a fondness for antennas because of their importance in our lives.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
New York, New York
Portland, Oregon
Sofia, Bulgaria

Lines And Angles And Sky, Oh My

I really like this photo, the contrasting colors, the building detail. Mainly I like that the two roof lines of the buildings in the background have the exact same roof angle as the green roof does. Your thoughts?

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Zurich, Switzerland - a must see!
New York, New York
Kyle, Texas

New And Old

Just before I posted today's photo taken near the farmers market in downtown St Paul, something stood out to me that hadn't occurred to me when I took the photo, nor when I processed it for adding to the site today. The front of the brick building is complete newer than the rear portion of the building. Which then brings to question, was the front of the building was refaced with the newer brick, or was it a completely new addition to the building? The brick color obviously doesn't even come close to a match.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Montego Bay, Jamaica
Port Angeles, Washington
San Diego, California

Seen At Holman Field

Home of the Minnesota Army National Guard Aviation is located at Holman Field just across the Mississippi River from downtown St Paul.

My Feet On The Ground

Yesterday I showed you the penthouse level of The Saint Paul Hotel, today is the lower level, more specifically the lobby entrance.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Quincy, Massachusetts
St Paul, Minnesota
Paris, France

Penthouse

One building I've wanted to capture a night photo of is The St Paul Hotel. As long as I can remember, this is downtown St Paul's most famous hotel. The historic value of this building, I wouldn't know where to begin. It is however within a stones throw of yesterday's Landmark Center photo.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Miami, Florida
Saigon, Vietnam
Wichita, Kansas

All Those Balconies, Not One In Use

It's shame, all of those great balconies on the Galtier Plaza Building and not one of them is being used. Granted, the sun is setting, but it is on the opposite side of the building. The people who live in this high rise must be visiting their neighbors on the west side of the building who face the sunset. That has to be the answer.

My 3 Daily Photo Favorites:
Riga, Latvia
Madison, Wisconsin
Guelph, Ontario