Lyndale and Lake Street: This intersection is an interesting borderland between the attraction of the Uptown area to the West, the diverse Nicollet Avenue neighborhoods to the East, and the commercial corridors to the North, and the residential areas to the South. Nearby neighborhoods are mixes of the long-standing and the new, for example, Schatzlein Saddle Shop and the Bryant Lake Bowl. Recently this area has been a site of gentrification and its restaurants and entertainment venues are attractions for the Metropolitan area.
Macalester students are just beginning to research this area.
Nicollet and Lake Street: This intersection once claimed Nicollet Park, a baseball stadium, and was an important hub for family-owned stores. The closing of the Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street intersection in the 1970s shaped this intersection. In the past three decades, immigration has changed Nicollet into "Eat Street," a corridor of grocery stores, restaurants, and cafes that represent the global community of the Twin Cities. Churches, art organizations, and neighborhood groups have played significant roles in stabalizing and adding vitality to nearby communities.
Macalester classes have researched the Old Arizona Theatre and will continue to research areas such as the creation of "Eat Street," the baseball park, and arts organizations.
4th and Lake Street: The Central corridor has a long history as an important neighborhood for African American communities. The intersection has become an important meeting ground for many cultures and communities, including recent immigrants from Eastern Africa and Latin America. Highway 35W runs through the surrounding neighborhoods and its expansion has proven a challange. Vibrant nonprofits, community organizations and citizens have continued to revitalize their neighborhoods.
Macalester students will be researching community histories and the stories of freeway expansion and recent immigration to the neighborhood.
Chicago-Lake Street Intersection: For much of the twentieth century, the Sears Building and warehouse along with family businesses made the Chicago-Lake Street intersection an important commercial hub for the Twin Cities. In 2006, a government-business-nonprofit partnership has converted the Sears Building into the Midtown Exchange, a multi-use site with apartments, condominiums, a global market, business and government offices, and a nearby hotel. Locally-owned businesses continue their legacy in this renewed Midtown area of Minneapolis.
Macalester students have researched the transformation of the Sears building and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Bloomington-Lake Street Intersection: This intersection has become one of the central points for Mexican-American culture in the Twin Cities. Latin American culture has shaped Mercado Central, Plaza Verde, and Me Gusta Place. Stores, churches, and community centers reflecting earlier European immigration continue to draw neighborhood residents as well as people who have grown up here and moved away. Sites for arts and activism play prominent roles in these neighborhood, including In the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theatre.
Macalester students have researched the histories of Mercado Central, Ingebretsen's store, and several churches. They will be partnering with In the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theatre for the public display at the MN Historical Society.
Hiawatha-Lake Intersection: This intersection connects the industrial, commercial, and global histories of Lake Street. At various periods of history, the area was home to the Minneapolis Moline factory, the Wonderland Amusement Park, the Hungry Hollow neighborhood, and the Coliseum ballroom. Today, the area includes commercial developments and nonprofits that reflect the global character of Lake Street, environmental initiatives, and important community sites central to surrounding neighborhoods.
Macalester students have researched Resource Center of the Americas, the Green Institute, the Minneapolis Moline Factory, and the stories of individual community activists. They have presented their work locally at Patrick's Cabaret and Resource Center of the Americas.
Lake Street Bridge: The Lake Street Bridge is one of the major transit corridors across the Mississippi River. The bridge has become an important site for peace activists, who hold regular demonstrations on the bridge. The surrounding neighborhoods include jogging, walking and biking paths, parks, bungalow neighborhoods, and commercial developments.
Macalester students have researched peace activists, created dance performances
on the Lake Street Bridge, and displayed “Women of Lake Street”--a series of
biographical panels on women activists, artists, and politicians, at the Blue Moon Coffee Shop.
