8/13/2019 Hennepin Avenue: The original historic urban street in Minneapolis
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Christian Huelsman
Hennepin AvenueThe original historic urban street in Minneapolis
8/13/2019 Hennepin Avenue: The original historic urban street in Minneapolis
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Midwest Regional Context
Study Area Urban Context
1903 Plat Map
The Hennepin Avenue study area(shown in blue) now exists in the
northwestern corner of downtown.It is flanked on three sides by
Interstate freeways. Its originaland natural edge, the Mississippi,
remains relatively unchangedsince the inception of the corridor.
The study area can be found in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, nearly425 miles northwest of Chicagoby freeway, and 275 miles fromMadison, Wisconsin.
It is accessible from St. Paul,Minnesota within ten miles.
FOCUS> Gateway Districtbetween 1st + 5th Street South
> East Warehouse Districtbetween 5th + 7th Streets South
> Theater Districtbetween 7th + 10th Streets South
Hennepin Avenue: Regional Context
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Original 1854 Plan
1903 Plat Map
Hennepin Avenue was the original commercialcenter of Minneapolis. Charles W. Christmas, thefirst surveyor of Hennepin County, oriented lots toface inward on Hennepin, as well as the first threeblocks from the Mississippi on Nicollet Street.
In 1854, only Hennepin Avenue and WashingtonAvenue had 100 foot rights-of-way, while all otherstreets maintained 80 feet.
The historic street grid has beenleft largely intact throughout the
Hennepin corridor. Notablechanges include connections
between both sides of 9th Street,including a connection at 10th Street.
By 1903, dense commercial developmentdominated Hennepin and adjacent streets,
as far southwest as 5th Street South,but followed Hennepin as far
as 9th Street South.
N
10th Street South
1st Street South
STUDYAREA
The prominent orientation of Hennepin Avenue
FOCUSq Gateway District1st St to 5th St
r East Warehouse District5th St to 7th St
sTheater District7th St to 10th St
q
r
s
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Gateway District
Old City HallNicollet HotelBridge Square
Landmarksof interest
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The original site of Minneapolis City Hallwas known as Bridge Square, due to its
proximity to the nearby bridge over theMississippi. The focus of the original cityplan and development of the civic centerreinforced development, as did the city
streetcar, first operational fromHennepin to the state university, via
the bridge north to University Avenue.Proximity to the regional freight hubspurred rapid economic growth -- soquickly that a larger city hall and
courthouse was built five blocks eastand two blocks south to Fifth St/2nd
Ave S. Upon completion, the old sitewas razed for a park. and the areawas rebranded as the GatewayDistrict, to further development.
Hennepin Avenues changing role in urban life
Stage One: 1873-1912
1886 1906 1912
Stage Two: 1930s-1961
As soon as the 1930s, the GatewayDistrict had already failed, at least in theeyes of city officials. The square had
become the place to find liquor stores,
flophouses, and plenty of blue-collarpoor. However, the building stock hadremained largely untampered. The
1950s brought proposals to raze the
oldest areas of downtown -- 20 blockstotal. The Gateway District becamean expansive plain of parking, save
for low-density corporate development.
1952 1961
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1948
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East Warehouse District: 5th + 6th Street South
The 500 and 600 blocks of HennepinAvenue have undergone, perhaps, the
most extensive metamorphosis, as canbe seen later. In 1889, however, theMasonic Building can be seen withsingle-family detached homes.
The Masonic Building was eventuallymatched by the Plymouth Building,
directly across Hennepin Avenue.Retail on the 600 Block, however,remained single-story and devoidof any imaginative ornamentation.
As vaudeville and motion picturetheaters became increasingly popular,
higher density commercial buildingstook the place of wood framedretail. A boom economy brought aconstruction boom all along Hennepin.
Hennepin Avenues changing role in urban life
1880s-1920s: Densification
1930s-1960s: Decline and Segmentation
1889 1916
It appears as though the two nearestbuildings suffered from the Depression.Upper floors are masked by adverts,
storefronts are barren, and cars are few.
Additional signage appears to havebeen erected, following World War II.The structure beyond the Masonic
Building was razed by the mid-1940s.
The others were razed by themid-1940s, and replaced by parkinglots and a modern office building.
The 600 Block, however, remained.
1936 1948
Masonic TemplePlymouth BldgBlock E
Landmarksof interest
1961
1926
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Theatre District: 8th + 9th Streets South
Orpheum TheatreGopher TheatreState Theatre
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Landmarksof interest
The Hennepin Theatre District is now anon-profit consortium of performance
theater operators, but it was once arapidly changing assortment of first-runand second-run spaces. In 1908, theOrpheum had not yet been built, but
uniform street lights led up to the 900block. As the heyday of theaters,
streetcars, and automobiles coincided,development in the district flourished.Ornamentation remained constant butsignage created more visual clutter.
By the 1950s, automobiles competedwith streetcars for space. Streetlights
were replaced sometime after WWII.Structures along the district remainedmostly unchanged. Adverts becameever more prominent.
Hennepin Avenues changing role in urban life
1954-2007: Decline and Rebirth
1908 1926
By the mid-1950s, theater marqueeseither disappeared or were altered.Street lighting took a contemporary
approach. The most apparent change
was the removal of the streetcar line,enabling two full traffic lanes. Boththe State and Gopher Theatre
marquees filled out the southeast side
of the block. Due to a decline in smallstreet theaters in the late 1970s, manywere shuttered and repurposed. Many
buildings were altered but remain.
1957 1961 2007
1951
1900-1954: District Development
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A.M. Smiths 1891 Birds Eye View MapChanging connections and transit options
Twin Cities Rapid Transit (1891)
Streetcar along study area
Connections from Hennepin
Gateway District (1st - 5th St)
Warehouse District (5th - 7th St)
Theater District (7th - 10th St)
L
L
LL
L
By 1948, streetcar lines at Marquetteand 2nd Avenues make travel easier todestinations across the river. Both a busroute and a streetcar line on Nicolletand Marquette Avenues served St. Pauland suburbs via service to Hennepin.
Since the 1909 relocation of City Hall,the commerce center of Minneapoliswas reborn between 2nd andMarquette Avenues.
Observations
+ Original trolley connections to Hennepin, paired
with the alteration of the street grid at 10th
Street, seem to have created district boundaries
and magnets for redevelopment over time.
+
+
The multiplier effect that transit junctions played
along Hennepin appeared to spread to the
southeast, as the commerce center shifted.
Lines in 1891 and 1948 seemed to dictate
development, not conversely.
WashingtonAve
ThirdStreet
SixthStreet Seven
thStr
eet
Transportation metamorphosis on Hennepin
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Learning from a complete eraFuture districts imitate + exceed yesteryear
(1st - 5th St)
(5th - 7th St)
(7th - 10th St)
L
L
GATEWAYDISTRICT
DISTRICT
DISTRICT
WAREHOUSE
THEATER
#
#
#
L
L
; ; ;;
oneway
oneway
oneway
busonlybikes
; ;;
parking
safety
zone
1990s -- 20111890s-1954Multi-modal Street Orientation
Twin Cities Rapid Transit (1891)Streetcar along study area
Connections from HennepinL
Provisions for streetcars
once limited cars. By the
1990s, multiple modes
shared Hennepin Avenue.
However, in 2012, the
street returns to two-way.
; ; ;;;
busonly
oneway
oneway
busonly
b
ikes;
bikes
2012 - beyond
1920
1920
1920
Streets accommodating current modesLimited gaps between building fabricConnectivity with other districts
Key qualities
The city reinvented the Gateway
but lacks walkability and, thus,
a connection to the riverfront.
Encouraging on-street parking
may encourage pedestrian
activity. However, the current
environment is neither
walkable nor perceviably public.
The newer Block E development
replaced a full city block of
individually wrapped storefronts.
The urban mall already suffers
from store closures, and willcontinue to experience this.
The street encourages
walkability, but the stores
are shielded indoors.
The theater district remains
largely intact but feels a
visual threat from towers
to the east. The new
Target Field baseball stadium,
located to the west, may
offer some rejuvenation,but careful integration will
be key to ensure new life.
2011
2011
2011
Benchmarking to complete Hennepin