Jack MacDonald TV

I used to live not far from Jack MacDonalds TV repair shop about twenty years ago. I'm wondering how long they have been at this location. What's disturbing to me is, I cannot recall if this business was here before or after I left the neighborhood. I guess we never had to use their service so it doesn't stand out to me.

Changed Hands

This business has changed hands since I last visited the building. It's been 25 plus years at least. From my childhood days, this was the laundromat that my mother and I went too when our home machine was broken?. I remember playing with the laundry carts that were there for use. Plus I remember opening and closing all of the unused machines. What it is today, looks like a picture frame shop, but I didn't get much closer than this photo.

Carbones On Smith

I'm not sure what the name of the store is today, though it looks like it sells household goods. I'm not sure if it's new or used goods, perhaps both. However, when I lived in this neighborhood, it was the place we called for pizza. "Carbones on Smith" was how they answered the phone, they delivered. While Carbones is gone from this location, there are a number of stores throughout the Twin Cities that thrive today.

Schmidt Beer On The West Side

On the corner of Wabasha Street and Isable Street in St Paul's West Side neighborhood, you can find this ghost advertisement of the Schmidt Beer logo. The building looks as it has been recently painted, thankfully they left the logo intact.

If you look really close at the faded logo, you can somewhat make out yet another Schmidt Beer advertisement logo in the same corner of the building. It's very tough to read it, but in the red portion of the logo, you can make out the letters 'hmid'.

La Guadalupana

I was sitting at the light where George Street, State Street and Concord Avenue all meet together. I was sitting at a light that I normally don't drive on and realized how large of a sign La Guadalupana really has. That font is massive! Anyway, this grocery store can be found in St Paul's West Side neighborhood. It's located on Cesar Chavez Street [old Concord Avenue].

Green Stairs, Returning To The West Side

St Paul's West Side neighborhood lost it's historic Green Stairs in the summer of 2008 after a large piece of the cliff fell into the structure causing major damage. Due to lack of funding, the stairs were removed for safety reasons. They stood for 92 years and became part of the areas history.

One of the first projects in the state that was approved was replacement of the Green Stairs. From what I'm reading, the replacement should be open by the summer of 2010. The color of the stairs will remain green, thank goodness. The artist drawing of the stairs, which can be found here, sort of takes away the simplicity they once had. But the area has gone through a much needed face lift and I suppose the stairs had to be tweaked as well to fit in. I'm looking forward to new photos from the top of the stairs like this one I took in April of 2007.

   

Humboldt Senior High

Yesterday's photo was of the main entrance to Humboldt Senior High School in St Paul, the entrance where you would address letters too. Today I'm showing you the entrance I used on a daily basis. This entrance is on the opposite side of the main entrance. In fact, if you entered the entrance from today's photo and walked in a straight line, you would exit out the main entrance from yesterday. Even though, just out of frame to the left is the loading docks and the garbage pickup, it does bring back the most memories for me.

Facebook Group: Humboldt High School
Facebook Group: Humboldt Sr High - 1980's

St Paul Humboldt

I made a quick pass through my old stomping grounds a couple weekends ago over on the West Side neighborhood of St Paul. My high school growing up was Humboldt Senior High. The building looks the same as I remember it. This is the main entrance to the school, though I don't recall ever entered the building using it. My home was on the opposite side of the building and obviously used the entrance closer to my home.

Facebook Group: Humboldt High School
Facebook Group: Humboldt Sr High - 1980's

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.

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.

Sliding At Baker Playground

So what do we do for entertainment in Minnesota during the colder winter months? We grab a plastic sled and cruse down a snow covered hill. Baker Playground has to be one of the largest hills in St Paul to slide down.

Zamboni For Hire

Shortly after I took yesterday's photo, someone from the neighborhood came walking into Baker Playground with a shovel slung over his right shoulder. I didn't stick around much longer after taking this photo, but I would imagine he was there to ice skate.

Snow Shadows

From high atop the best snow sliding hill at Baker Playground in St Paul's Westside neighborhood the trees and the low on the horizon sun cast shadows longer than a football field. As I stand there and look at the field below, in my youth growing up about a block from the playground, I can recall the field in the winter time with an ice rink laid out. Right next to the hockey rink was a very large oval for speed skating. Today I can barely make out a circle covered with snow that looks like it could be an ice rink. I'm sure budget cuts may come into play for the changes, or it's what the neighborhood has become.

Now For Something Really New

I passed this street sign on the West Side neighborhood in St Paul. I'm puzzled to the meaning of this sign. What possibly could a sign like this alert drivers or pedestrians for? Beware of a silhouette carrying a jacket and briefcase?

UPDATE: This sign is part of a money spending project of St Paul called 'Traffic Calming Art Signs'. Here is a link about the signs: http://www.stpaul.gov/index.asp?NID=2639

Westside's Fire Station 21

Growing up in the West Side neighborhood of St Paul and living rather close to this fire station, I knew very little about it's history. Built in 1920, Engine House #21 resides on the southwest corner of Ohio Street and Baker Street. The fire station at 643 Ohio Street was modeled after Station 18 on University Avenue and was used until 1943. It has since housed a VFW, a German gymnasium [the Turnverein's] and presently residential for a shipwright and a photographer. What stands out to me is, until recently, I never knew this was originally a fire station.

One thing of note, the size of the garage doors were built for a horse drawn wagon. This explains why it was abandon after 23 years of service. The size of this fire station was one of the smallest in the city, when engine drawn firetrucks became the norm, the larger fire stations had their garage doors widened to accommodate the size of the trucks. This station was left intact as it was easier to build a brand new building.

St Matthew's School

I paid a visit inside St Matthew's School on St Paul's West Side neighborhood a couple of weekends ago. It was just how I remembered it to be the last time I was there back when I was in 7th grade. There was new paint here and there, the windows had been replaced, but generally the same look and feel. I've always loved the steep pitch of the roof and the windows that protrude out from the roof. I've never been on the level of the school to look out those very windows. So I've always been curious what exactly is up there on the top level.

West Side Downtown View

There is a great view of the taller downtown St Paul buildings from the top of the hill on Bidwell Street. My location for this photo is the West Side Neighborhood.

Riverview Branch Library

In my comments from yesterday's photo, Micayla left a note about once living on the West Side and recognizing the home in the photo. Micayla also mentioned the public library across the street from the big house. The brick appears a bit faded from the sun's rays, but there the Riverview Branch Library is still up and running. I believe the Riverview sign is new, I don't recall it being there.

Rau - Strong House

This home on the West Side Neighborhood of St Paul has been under construction for as long as I can remember in one form or another. It's slowly come around to what you see today. I recall in the past, perhaps 20-25 years ago, on Halloween night the house was open to the public as a haunted house of some sort. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (added 1975 - Building - #75001015).

2 George Street East: Rau-Stronge House/Strong House/Ossian R. Strong House; Built in 1884; Italianate/Stick/Eastlake/Second Empire in style. The structure is a two story, 3351 square foot, eight room, one bathroom, stucco house, with a detached garage. The 1885 city directory indicates that Mr. and Mrs. G. Adam Rau resided at this address. The 1887 city directory indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Adam Rau and Mr. and Mrs. O. R. Strong resided at this address. The 1890, 1892, 1894, 1896 and 1898 city directories indicate that Mr. and Mrs. O. R. Strong resided at this address. Oakland Cemetery Association records indicate that Ossian R. Strong and Elizabeth S. Strong (1861-1894,) of German extraction who died of consumption, husband and wife, resided at this address in 1894. Oakland Cemetery Association records indicate that Johanna Sophia Rau (1823-1906,) the widowed mother-in-law of Ossian R. Strong, who was born in Germany to parents who were also born in Germany and who died of a cerebral hemorrhage, resided at this address in 1906. Oakland Cemetery Association records indicate that Julius A. Strong (1827-1913,) the husband of Caroline M. Strong, who was born in New York to parents who were born in the United States and who died of pleurisy-bronchopneumonia, resided at this address in 1913. The 1930 city directory indicates that Ruth G. Strong resided at this address. The property was purchased by stone cutter Adam Rau in 1867. In 1884, Rau began constructing the limestone Second Empire house and the neighboring barn, which was completed in 1886. In 1888, Rau sold the property to Ossian Strong for $8,000. Adam Rau ( -1939) died in Ramsey County. Adam Rau was a stone cutter and dealer in 1880-1881. Five members of the Rau family worked in the stone business, all living on the West Side, including Nicholas Rau, who was the foreman in Adam Rau's stoneyard. Sauter & Rau was another stone cutting firm in 1880-1881. Osslian R. Strong ( -1922) died in Ramsey County. The property was last sold in 1991 with a sale price of $55,500. The current owners of record of the property are Steven E. Peterson and Collette L. Peterson. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places (1975) and has been designated a local heritage preservation site.

SOURCE: Kevin D. Hendricks

West Side Grocery

I would be safe to assume that this mural of an eagle landing on a cactus was planned and not the work of a graffiti vandalism/artist like I posted in yesterday's photo. I do wish I would have come back earlier in the day to catch the sun on the side of the mural instead of the face of the building. The contrast between the two sides was really tough to photograph.