Mill District, Minneapolis

Jennifat · May 13th, 2012, 11:15 AM

Keeping with my "staying home" theme, I did some wandering around in the Mill District. This has been the first weekend without rain for a month, so I was itching to get out and snap some more photos.

The Mill District was born from the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi called St. Anthony Falls, which powered the mills. In its heyday from 1880 to about 1930, Minneapolis was—by far—the world's largest producer of flour. Some of the most ubiquitous American baking and flour brands such as Pillsbury, Gold Medal, Betty Crocker, among others were milled, packaged, and shipped across the world from here.

If not for St. Anthony Falls and flour milling, the city of Minneapolis would likely not exist.

The Mill District has changed dramatically since the mid-20th century. Flour is no longer produced here, and the mills have long since closed. Fires have destroyed some of the original mills, and the remaining have all been converted to condominiums and offices. The Washburn "A" Mill became the Mill City Museum, where visitors can get an up-close tour of the inner-workings of a 19th century flour mill. On the riverbank below, ruins of mills and their canals have been excavated and can be viewed up-close on boardwalks. Recently, the city has proposed excavating the rest of the ruins and restoring the original canal system with an interpretive center, along with a new public plaza and more green space along the river.

Because it was a picture-perfect May evening, people were all over the place, enjoying the spring sunshine. I'll admit that I overdid it with the people shots, but I couldn't resist.

Mill District, Minneapolis
May 12, 2012

thomas_ecmpls · May 13th, 2012, 01:55 PM

AMAZING! of all the cities I've lived in Minneapolis by far the best. I will take my old San Diego weather though

mnmike · May 13th, 2012, 05:28 PM

These are great! That area has come so far! Love the North Loop one too. You should post these over at Skyscraperpage....always seems like there is more traffic over at that forum. I can even do it with credit to you if you like...would love as many to see these photos as possible...people don't often see these revitalized areas of Minneapolis, and how they are coming together so well.

minneapolis-uptown · May 13th, 2012, 07:15 PM

Nice pics! is it just me, or is that kid thats with him mom about to fall flat on his face?

skiumah · May 13th, 2012, 07:40 PM

The Mill District and St. Anthony Main on the other side of the river are my favorite part of Minneapolis. Great food, great scenery, and a fairly laid back atmosphere.

Avian001 · May 13th, 2012, 11:29 PM

Wow, first-rate photothread Jennifat! Terrific pictures! That area has undergone some astounding changes in the last 15 years. The only thing it needs is a decent pizza joint

MillCityTimes · May 14th, 2012, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jennifat

Keeping with my "staying home" theme, I did some wandering around in the Mill District. This has been the first weekend without rain for a month, so I was itching to get out and snap some more photos.

Wow, don't think I've seen someone capture our neighborhood better than this. Great job!

nasa35 · May 14th, 2012, 02:07 PM

NICE WORK! I'm taking my family there this weekend entirely because of your pictures. Way to showcase our city like that.

Jennifat · May 14th, 2012, 05:42 PM

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone!

Quote:

Originally Posted by minneapolis-uptown

Nice pics! is it just me, or is that kid thats with him mom about to fall flat on his face?

I honestly can't remember what happened after I snapped that photo, although I kind of want to believe he took a face plant in the grass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasa35

NICE WORK! I'm taking my family there this weekend entirely because of your pictures. Way to showcase our city like that.

Awesome, hope all of you have a great time! We'll have really lucked out if next weekend is as beautiful as the last.

***xzmattzx*** · May 17th, 2012, 06:23 AM

Nice pictures. I love old industrial neighborhoods like this.

Jennifat · May 27th, 2012, 10:32 PM

Thanks, Matt.

May 13th, 2012, 11:15 AM	#1
Jennifat Midwest Diva Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Posts: 1,275 Likes (Received): 87	Mill District, Minneapolis Keeping with my "staying home" theme, I did some wandering around in the Mill District. This has been the first weekend without rain for a month, so I was itching to get out and snap some more photos. The Mill District was born from the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi called St. Anthony Falls, which powered the mills. In its heyday from 1880 to about 1930, Minneapolis was—by far—the world's largest producer of flour. Some of the most ubiquitous American baking and flour brands such as Pillsbury, Gold Medal, Betty Crocker, among others were milled, packaged, and shipped across the world from here. If not for St. Anthony Falls and flour milling, the city of Minneapolis would likely not exist. The Mill District has changed dramatically since the mid-20th century. Flour is no longer produced here, and the mills have long since closed. Fires have destroyed some of the original mills, and the remaining have all been converted to condominiums and offices. The Washburn "A" Mill became the Mill City Museum, where visitors can get an up-close tour of the inner-workings of a 19th century flour mill. On the riverbank below, ruins of mills and their canals have been excavated and can be viewed up-close on boardwalks. Recently, the city has proposed excavating the rest of the ruins and restoring the original canal system with an interpretive center, along with a new public plaza and more green space along the river. Because it was a picture-perfect May evening, people were all over the place, enjoying the spring sunshine. I'll admit that I overdid it with the people shots, but I couldn't resist. Mill District, Minneapolis May 12, 2012 __________________ My North Star State Photo Threads Minneapolis / St. Paul Downtown Minneapolis \| Mill District, Minneapolis \| North Loop, Minneapolis Northeast Minneapolis 1 \| Northeast Minneapolis 2 \| Loring Park and Mpls Sculpture Garden Uptown, Minneapolis \| U of M—East Bank \| U of M—West Bank \| Downtown St. Paul 1\| Downtown St. Paul 2 Greater Minnesota Cities and Towns of Minnesota

May 13th, 2012, 11:29 PM	#6
Avian001 Mostly Sane Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Earth. For Now. Posts: 1,140 Likes (Received): 15	Wow, first-rate photothread Jennifat! Terrific pictures! That area has undergone some astounding changes in the last 15 years. The only thing it needs is a decent pizza joint __________________ “A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.” ― Frank Lloyd Wright

May 17th, 2012, 06:23 AM	#10
*xzmattzx* Philly sports fan Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 12,622 Likes (Received): 57	Nice pictures. I love old industrial neighborhoods like this. __________________ The great state of Delaware; My daily Delaware photo; My urban photo blog Riverfront Wilmington construction photos; Center City Wilmington construction photos

May 27th, 2012, 10:32 PM	#11
Jennifat Midwest Diva Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Posts: 1,275 Likes (Received): 87	Thanks, Matt. __________________ My North Star State Photo Threads Minneapolis / St. Paul Downtown Minneapolis \| Mill District, Minneapolis \| North Loop, Minneapolis Northeast Minneapolis 1 \| Northeast Minneapolis 2 \| Loring Park and Mpls Sculpture Garden Uptown, Minneapolis \| U of M—East Bank \| U of M—West Bank \| Downtown St. Paul 1\| Downtown St. Paul 2 Greater Minnesota Cities and Towns of Minnesota

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May 13th, 2012, 01:55 PM	#2
thomas_ecmpls Registered User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Eau Claire, WI Posts: 22 Likes (Received): 0	AMAZING! of all the cities I've lived in Minneapolis by far the best. I will take my old San Diego weather though

May 13th, 2012, 05:28 PM	#3
mnmike Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 22 Likes (Received): 0	These are great! That area has come so far! Love the North Loop one too. You should post these over at Skyscraperpage....always seems like there is more traffic over at that forum. I can even do it with credit to you if you like...would love as many to see these photos as possible...people don't often see these revitalized areas of Minneapolis, and how they are coming together so well.

May 13th, 2012, 07:15 PM	#4
minneapolis-uptown Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 804 Likes (Received): 1	Nice pics! is it just me, or is that kid thats with him mom about to fall flat on his face?

May 13th, 2012, 07:40 PM	#5
skiumah Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 33 Likes (Received): 0	The Mill District and St. Anthony Main on the other side of the river are my favorite part of Minneapolis. Great food, great scenery, and a fairly laid back atmosphere.

May 14th, 2012, 02:07 PM	#8
nasa35 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 56 Likes (Received): 0	NICE WORK! I'm taking my family there this weekend entirely because of your pictures. Way to showcase our city like that.