Marcy-Holmes History: Hiding in Plain Sight

EXPLORE THE OLDEST NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE CITY • • •


The 24 historical sites in this tour (listed below) tell stories of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood—what was once the town of Saint Anthony Falls—from 1849 through the early twentieth century. Historical information was drawn from Penny Petersen’s 1999 book, "Hiding in Plain Sight: Minneapolis’ First Neighborhood" and the stops on the tour correspond with the 24 bronze sculptures lining the neighborhood's 6th Ave. Gateway.


Read brief stories and view images about each historical site, or put on your headset to be taken on the tour by neighborhood residents, business owners and friends.


• Visit the 24 historical sites (about 3 miles to see all)

• Stroll or roll through the open-air gallery of bronze sculptures (a 2-block stretch of 6th Avenue SE)


See Intro for credits.

Intro - Hiding in Plain Sight History Tour

FROM SAINT ANTHONY FALLS TO MARCY-HOLMES • • • • Narrated by Penny Petersen • The waterfalls here on the Mississippi are the most abrupt drop in the river’s more than 2,300-mile length. To the indigenous peoples who first lived in this area, the…

6th Ave. Gateway Sculptures

CAPTURING HISTORY ARTISTICALLY • • • • 6th Ave. SE from University to Main St. SE • • Narrated by Ben Heywood • • Commentary by Aldo Moroni and Ben Heywood • The Marcy-Holmes Gateway is an open-air gallery displaying part of the neighborhood’s…

Salvage Corps Station No. 2 (1905)

AN AUXILIARY FIRE HOUSE TO PROTECT PRIVATE PROPERTY • • • • 528-530 University Ave. SE • George Bertrand and Arthur Chamberlin, architects • Italianate-style • Narrated by Alex Roberts • Designed by George Bertrand and Arthur Chamberlin, this…

Earle Brown House (1903)

A DOUBLE-HEATED PRAIRIE-STYLE HOME • • • • 925 6th Street SE • Ernest Kennedy, architect • Prairie-style • Narrated by Bruce Ballanger • This 1903 brick house, an early example of Prairie-style architecture by Minneapolis standards, was…

International Christian Unity Bible College / Dome City (1915)

THE ICONIC DINKYTOWN DOME • • • • 1501 University Avenue SE • John Koester, architect • Classical Revival-style • Narrated by Kristen Eide-Tollefson • Known variously as “Dome City” and “The Dinkydome,” this 1915 building’s distinctive dome…

Octavius Broughton House (1859)

ONCE OBSCURED CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE NOW SHINES BRIGHT • • • • 511 4th Avenue SE • Architect Unknown • Greek Revival-style • Narrated by Ted Tucker • When millwright Octavius Broughton arrived from New England in 1854, sawmilling was St.…

Shepard Manufacturing Company (1884)

FROM BROOM HANDLES TO VINEGAR • • • • 129 6th Avenue SE • Architect Unknown • Narrated by Doug Forbes • Built in 1884 by James R. Shepard at a cost of $8,000, this building started life as a factory. Broom handles were made here, as was…

Winthrop School/East High School (1867 and 1900)

ONE OF OUR FIRST SCHOOLS • • • • 25 University Avenue SE • Edward Stebbins, architect • French Second Empire and Classical Revival styles • Narrated by Beatrice Kennedy-Logan • Schools were among the first public institutions to be established…

Main Street Buildings (1855, 1858 and 1890)

MINNEAPOLIS' OLDEST MASONRY COMMERCIAL BUILDING • • • • 117, 123-27, 129 Main Street • Benjamin Cutter, Unknown and Carl Struck, architects • Greek Revival, Italianate Revival and Queen Anne-styles • Narrated by Victoria Barlow • From…

Pillsbury "A" Mill (1881)

THE LARGEST FLOUR MILL IN THE WORLD • • • • 3rd Avenue and Main Street SE • Leroy Buffington and W. F. Gunn, architects • Heavy mill construction • Narrated by John "Pat" Patricelli • The pride of John Pillsbury’s flour business,…

John Dudley House (1856)

DIVERSIFICATION: ONE MAN'S ROAD TO SUCCESS • • • • 701 5th Street SE • Architect Unknown • Greek and Italianate Revival styles • Narrated by Linda Messenger • John Dudley arrived in St. Anthony in 1852—not to make his fortune, but to…

Van Cleve House (1858)

A MUCH-LOVED COUPLE—AND THEIR HORSE • • • • 603 5th Street SE • Architect Unknown • Greek and Italianate styles • Narrated by Arvonne Fraser • The Van Cleve house, owned by Horatio and Charlotte Van Cleve, was placed on the National Register…

Winslow House Hotel (1856)

LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS ON THE RIVER • • • • Main Street and Central Avenue (no longer exists) • Robert Alden, architect • Colonial Revival-style • Narrated by Nancy Hovanes • In 1856, St. Paul businessman James Winslow constructed his six-story…

Mississippi River Gorge

THE BIRTHPLACE OF MINNEAPOLIS • • • • Narrated by Cordelia Pierson • St. Anthony Falls is the most abrupt drop in the Mississippi River’s entire 2,200-mile length. Here, the river drops nearly 75 feet in just a few blocks: 49 feet from the…

Sawmills at the Falls (1848-1887)

THE POWER THAT CREATED ST. ANTHONY • • • • View from Main Street, just north of Hennepin Island (no longer exists) • Ard Godfrey, architect • Narrated by David Wiggins • Maine millwright Ard Godfrey spent only six years in the young town of St.…

First Congregational Church (1886)

A MARCY-HOLMES LANDMARK SINCE THE 1880s • • • • 800 5th Street SE • Warren Hayes, architect • Richardsonian Romanesque and Gothic Revival styles • Narrated by Jane McBride • The roots of First Congregational Church go back almost to the…

Pillsbury Library (1904)

A GIFT FROM "THE FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY" • • • • 100 University Avenue SE • Charles Aldrich, architect • Beaux Arts-style • Narrated by Dean Phillips • John Pillsbury, like many Easterners, came to the tiny village of St. Anthony…

Exposition Hall (1886)

AN EVENT SPACE BIGGER THAN A CITY BLOCK • • • • 2nd Street between 3rd Avenue and Bank Street; (no longer exists) • Isaac Hodgson, architect • French Classicism and Gothic styles • Narrated by Jacob Frey • In 1886, a group of Minneapolis…

Florence Court (1884)

TOWNHOUSES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS • • • • 10th Avenue and University Avenue SE • Frederick Long and Frederick Kees, architects • Queen Anne-style • Narrated by Dave Dorman •• Completed in 1884 by contractor Jeremiah Spear, Florence Court was…

Fred L. Smith House (1904)

PRINTER'S "DEVIL" MAKES GOOD • • • • 419 5th Street SE • Ernest Kennedy, architect • Colonial Revival-style • Narrated by Julie Baker & Chris Coy • Fred Smith arrived in St. Anthony in 1857 when both he—and the town— were…

Thomas Andrews House (1866)

THE MANSION HE OWNED TWICE • • • • 527 5th Street SE • Architect Unknown • Italianate-style • Narrated by Larry Prinds When Thomas Andrews built this Italianate Revival house at 527 5th Street SE, he was following in the footsteps of other…

Peter Lees House (1894)

THE ORIGINAL AMERICAN DREAM • • • • 629 5th Street SE • Warren Hayes, architect • Queen Anne-style • Narrated by Jan Stroup • A classic immigrant success story. That’s how you could describe Peter Lees. He left Scotland in 1880 and settled…

Woodbury Fisk House (1869)

A PRIME EXAMPLE OF ITALIANATE REVIVAL-STYLE ARCHITECTURE • • • • 424 5th Street SE • Architect Unknown • Italianate Revival-style • Narrated by Sally French • Woodbury Fisk arrived in St. Anthony with his friend Thomas Andrews and his…

Luther Gage Johnson Store (1878)

GOOD PUBLICITY BRINGS NEW MERCHANT TO MARCY-HOLMES • • • • 601 University Avenue SE • Architect Unknown • Queen Anne-style • Narrated by Lucy Nieboer • The proprietor of a New Hampshire general store, Luther Gage Johnson, at age 41, left his…

Marcy-Holmes Today

WELCOME TO MARCY-HOLMES • • • Narrated by Doug Carlson • Originally the town of St. Anthony Falls, Marcy-Holmes is the oldest neighborhood in Minneapolis. It is east of the Mississippi and south of East Hennepin Avenue, which is why it’s often…