A Tale of Two Cities

When I was in my Freshman year of College I took a course that I thought would be, well, easy. It was Minnesota History. I thought that I had to know at least some of what they were going to tell me! What I was fascinated to learn however, was the history that had surrounded me my entire life, and that I had failed to appreciate or seek out. About midway threw the semester we came in to class one day and were told we were going to watch a movie about the history of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I have never been able to shake the images of this movie from my mind. The beauty that these two cities possessed at one time was magnificent! They were show pieces in their own rights. This movie is called "The Lost Twin Cities" it's story is also available in book form written by Larry Millet. Both tell the story of how

many of the memorable buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul have been lost to the wrecker's ball. Millett's carefully researched book is a valiant effort to reconstruct, in words and illustrations, this rich architectural legacy. The author ( The Curve of the Arch , Minnesota Historical Society, 1985) presents an impressive sampling of the vanished buildings of the Twin Cities, tracing their history and including information on who the owners and architects were, how these structures were used, why they were torn down, and what occupies each site today. Lost Twin Cities makes us mourn for the richness that has been lost but also makes us appreciate how much has survived. Highly recommended for anyone interested in urban history.-- H. Ward Jandl, National Park Svce., Washington, D.C.

Here is just a sample of some of the buildings of the time.



It has been years since I have seen this video, but the images of the buildings, the architecture, and the history that was wiped away to make room for modernism still sticks with me making, me wish someone had realized that each building was a monument to what this state, and its people had worked for, and these buildings were a part of the states history.