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| [The 1989 Downtown Saint Paul landscape.] |
It's full of some amazing retro stuff like this:
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| [Some cool stuff from the center of the illustration.] |
What's happened to 1989 Saint Paul? What's there, what's gone now?
Here's my best attempt to figure that out. Please post corrections in the comments. You can expand the full image but I've also put in a few close-ups.
Close-up of the bottom right quadrant:
There were two McDonald'ss in the skyway when I started working for Cray, but they both closed a few months later. One is now a local burger shop (Skyway Grill) and the other is now a salad place called Sprout.
ReplyDeleteThere's still a Sawatdee on Robert Street and 9th, I think (one block south of Lunds on the other side of the street).
There were three McDonalds in the skyway until approx. the beginning of 2015: in the Alliance Bank Bldg food court (now Skyway Grill), one of the Securian bldgs (now Sprout), and in Wells Fargo, across the skyway from the Children's Museum (now an empty slot next to Subway). I work in Town Square, so before these closed, we were all but surrounded -- there remain Subway shops in all three buildings, though.
ReplyDeletePretty sure the American Bank building is now occupied by U.S. Bank.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Jemne Building (former home of the MN Museum of American Art) is now occupied by Ever-Green Energy. At the time this poster was made, there was a McDonald's in the food court in the lower level of Town Square. And I believe the YWCA building is gone -- I think it was in the space now occupied by the light rail central station.
ReplyDeleteI'm becoming obsessed with recalling this stuff. The First Minnesota building also stood in the block occupied by the light rail central station -- in the northeast quadrant. I don't remember anything occupying it after Norwest Banks bought out First Minnesota. If you're interested, there's information about the building's eagle statue here: http://www.startseeingart.com/sculpture/eagle-by-robert-johnson/
ReplyDeleteApplebaum's closed before the merger with Rainbow. It was in the block now occupied by Lawson Commons, with the entrance off of Wabasha.
ReplyDeleteSawatdee was in the space now occupied by Heartland Restaurant & Wine Bar, in the building now known as Markethouse.
ReplyDeleteI'll stop now. :-)
I was rather surprised to see the autopsy of my artwork on Google, today., February, 2017. I also can't quite believe I walked those streets, carefully sketching, painting so many places. It was all watercolor, by hand. An enjoyable effort. Thanks for seeing. I doubt that anyone ever looked into it as you have. I am a Montanan, married to a MINNESOTAN. Still making art every day at our orchard on Flathead Lake. Thank you. I did this piece to help raise funds for the Athletic Club. Sheryl Getman
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see and read the appreciation for your work not only for St. Paul but for other towns and cities. A full retrospective is due!
DeleteSheryl, I have a copy of this as well. My parents gave me this when I was in college in California.It was the first piece of art I ever paid to have framed, and it has hung on my walls in every move since college! It's probably the only piece of art I haven't ever taken down. I also examine all those buildings and I now live near the yellow Victorian in the top right. I think about this artwork every time I drive by that house. Thank your for your detailed tribute to St Paul.
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