mill city
on sunday, lisa and i played tourist in minneapolis took a riverfront walking tour that originated at the mill city museum:
the museum itself is housed in the washburn “a” grain mill, which was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1991. they left parts of the building as-is. we learned a ton about the history of minneapolis, but i don’t want to ruin it for you: you’ll just have to take the tour yourself!
i really should have asked if the stars on the exterior of the north star woolen mill have a function… or if they are only decoration.
the highlight of our tour was the “flour tower” within the museum: you’re seated in a freight elevator, which stops on each floor for elaborate productions and recreations of mill life. when you reach the 8th floor, you can get out of the elevator and go onto the observation deck.
what a view! the afternoon really revived my love for minneapolis. thank you, lisa!
July 29th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Those stars in the wall — often they were used to anchor rods that were drilled through the stones to hold the building together. If you see them on the other side of the building in roughly the same place — that could be the reason. I’ve seen this technique used a lot in Holland for the canal houses that are leaning to and fro.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I agree with Kathryn on the stars. I’ve always wanted to go here. Driven by it a million times on my way too and from work but have never gone in. Seth went with school this week too. His absolute fav was the flour tour. He just kept saying “the flour tour was soooo much fun” over and over. I was wondering what it was. Thanks for clearing up that mystery. Also – those are some fantastic clouds for your adventure.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
how did i ever miss this? it looks fascinating! great pics too!
August 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 am
My favorite part of Minneapolis, hands-down. Though I’m ashamed to say I never went to the museum itself. Sigh. But the Gold Medal sign is in my sketchbook, and the Stone Arch Bridge is in my heart.