Celebrating America's favorite cityscapes, this series combines historic interest and contemporary beauty. Then and Now features fascinating archival photographs contrasted with specially commissioned, full-color images of the same scene today. A visual lesson in the historic changes of our greatest urban landscapes.

An engaging, startling look at the dramatic evolution of landscapes in Minneapolis and St. Paul from the vantage point of their relatively static streets, in seventy-two historic black-and-white photographs, taken from the 1880's to the late 1950's, coupled with informative essays.

Locked together in an affectionate sibling rivalry, Minneapolis and its twin city St.Paul are constantly growing and changing. Minneapolis-St.Paul Then and Now shows how Minnesota’s two largest cities have expanded along the banks of the Mississippi river and merged over the last 150 years. (Although if St. Paul had stuck with its original name it would be Minneapolis-Pig’s Eye Landing, the name came from a notorious whiskey runner.)The long and cold Minnesota winters and humid summers have spawned an architecture to feat the weather with indoor shopping malls, domed stadia, skyways and a whole host of sports and celebrations that thrive in this climate. The St. Paul Winter Carnival is the oldest winter celebration in North America.Using archive photos pairing vintage photos from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with their modern-day viewpoint, local author Bill Lindeke shows how the Twin Cities have developed from simple trading posts on the banks of the Mississippi in "the land of 10,000 lakes."Sites include: Forum Cafeteria, Lumber Exchange Building, Foshay Tower, City Hall, Pillsbury ‘A’ Mill, Milwaukee Depot, Metropolitan Building, Huber H. Humphye Metrodome, Triangle Bar, Loring Park, Basilica of St. Mary, University of Minnesota, Northrup Auditorium, Swedish Institute, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Hennepin and Lake, Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Minnehaha Falls, Fort Snelling, Seven Corners, Landmark Center, Mickey’s Diner, First State Capitol Building. Third State Capitol, Science Museum, St.Paul Union Depot and Castle Royal.

Get ready to discover the great architectural mecca that is Minneapolis and St. Paul. The first comprehensive, illustrated handbook of its kind, AIA Guide to the Twin Cities is the ultimate source to the architectural riches of the metropolitan area. Organized by neighborhood and featuring a wealth of sites--from the highest point on the Minneapolis skyline to the modest St. Paul bungalow vibrant with historical and architectural significance--this invaluable reference has it all: -Illuminating entries for more than 3,000 buildings -Behind-the-scenes details of the structures and their architects -Lively information about local history and regional styles -Highlights of important buildings nearly lost in time -Sixty easy-to-read maps that pinpoint the location of every structure -Dozens of planned walking and driving tours -Over 1,000 photos that illustrate significant buildings and features Retired Pioneer Press architecture critic Larry Millett has spent more than two decades researching and exploring the architectural heritage of the Twin Cities. Millett's AIA Guide to the Twin Cities is your ticket to the best tour in town. Sponsored in part by the American Institute of Architects Minnesota. Larry Millett has written extensively about Twin Cities architecture. His books include Lost Twin Cities, Twin Cities Then and Now, and Strange Days, Dangerous Nights (all MHS Press), as well as a series of mystery novels featuring Sherlock Holmes.

Well known as the most prestigious and beautiful street in the Twin Cities, Summit Avenue runs past the opulent mansion of railroad tycoon James J. Hill, an early home of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and several residences designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert. In its heyday the four-and-one-half-mile-long boulevard included 13 churches, 9 schools, and 440 residences, 373 of which survive. St. Paul's Historic Summit Avenue highlights the fascinating story of this boulevard, from its pre-Civil War origins, when the area was still considered wilderness, to its fashionable height at the turn of the century. Ernest R. Sandeen discusses the preservation of Summit Avenue and takes readers on a walking tour of the first and grandest mile of the street, beginning with the Cathedral of St. Paul. A second walking tour gives the reader Fitzgerald's Summit Avenue, including excerpts from his notebooks and stories describing the area. The book concludes with an index of Summit Avenue houses built through the 1970s. Before his death in 1982, Ernest R. Sandeen was the James Wallace Professor of History and codirector of the Living Historical Museum at Macalester College. He served as a member of St. Paul's Historic Preservation Commission and as a partner in Lanegran, Richter, and Sandeen, an architectural preservation, design, and land-use firm.

Minnesota’s past is defined by its remarkable natural resources, and shaped by its native peoples and early settlers. From the fur trade and the establishment of Fort Snelling, to harnessing the power of the Mississippi River as a means to fuel emergent logging and milling industries, Minnesota’s history is that of a land like no other. Pioneering Minnesotans embraced everything that the sprawling prairies, rich farmlands, and more than 10,000 lakes offered. Boomtowns and small towns sprang up and were connected to the thriving metropolises of Minneapolis and St. Paul through a great labyrinth of railways. From the time photographers first started pointing their cameras in the direction of Minnesota’s land and people, crystallized moments from the state’s history were captured, and stories preserved. The archival images collected in Historic Photos of Minnesota offer unique insights into the state’s not-so-distant past. Spanning more than 100 years, this book documents everyday lives and significant events in Minnesota’s extraordinary history.

1993 American Institute of Architects International Architecture Book Award

A concise history, featuring stories that are familiar, surprising, and sure to change the way you see Minnesota's capitol city.

An entertaining journey into the highs, lows, bright spots, and dark corners of the Twin Cities' most famous and infamous drinking establishments--history viewed from the barstool.