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45-752: The museum is located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis in the historic Christian Mansion, a historic home built in 1919. Today, it is included in the Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District of Minneapolis, and is located on the east side of Washburn-Fair Oaks Park. The house was designed by Hennepin County architects Hewitt and Brown . The Hennepin History Museum features a combination of permanent and changing exhibits. The permanent collection showcases objects, artifacts, and documents that tell

90-599: A citizen participation model to assist neighborhoods until with the Legislature's assistance created the Neighborhood Revitalization Program in 1987 to formally address urban issues with funding. The city began designating official neighborhood boundaries at this time and Whittier was formalized. Several factors had sown seeds for Whittier's comeback from the post-war suburban flight. Nicollet Avenue had not suffered completely. An authentic German restaurant,

135-509: A major development came to the corner of 26th and Nicollet including a major indoor climbing facility and several new restaurants. In 2012, Whittier Alliance and the City of Minneapolis began working to move Kmart and restore Nicollet Avenue including a possible streetcar system. In 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, K-Mart shuttered their doors, closing the last remaining store in the state. In 2023,

180-764: Is funded by Hennepin County. The remaining 60% is funded by individual donors. Three times a year, the museum publishes Hennepin History Magazine . Redesigned in 2017, the magazine features topics of interest from all over Hennepin County. Digital reproductions of Hennepin History, the official publication of the Hennepin History Museum, are available online thanks to the Hennepin County Library Digital Collections. Earlier issues included articles such as "The Birth of Target", which explores

225-825: Is home to a wide variety of events, including monthly "Fireside Chats" on various historical topics, as well as social events and author talks. The museum has also worked to spotlight various communities in Hennepin County. In 2003, the museum partnered with the Walker Art Museum and 30 East African students from local high schools to use letters and photographs to create an exhibit about East African communities in Minneapolis. The museum's cultural outreach continued in 2009, when University of Minnesota interior design students exhibited designs for culturally sensitive homes for Somali and Mexican immigrants. The museum's library

270-698: Is in Minnesota Senate District 62, represented by Omar Fateh , and in Minnesota House district 62A, represented by Aisha Gomez . Minneapolis Public Schools Area 23. The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is in Whittier. In the 1990s, the City of Lakes Waldorf School and Watershed High School moved into Whittier. Both schools renovated the American Hardware Mutual Insurance Company building (constructed 1922) at

315-410: Is open to the community and highlights the museum's archival collections. The library has reference materials such as city directories, photos of houses and buildings, maps, atlases, genealogical resources, city history files, business histories, and many other reference materials. A professional archivist is on site during library open hours to assist researchers. About 40% of the museum's annual budget

360-542: Is recognized by the City of Minneapolis and its Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). These NRP funds allow the Whittier Alliance to work with individuals, families, and businesses to build the community in terms of safety, economic development, and livability. Another informal organization is the Whittier Neighbors, founded in 1996. The Fifth Police Precinct serves the neighborhood under Sector One. Whittier

405-465: Is the most populous neighborhood in Minneapolis, and second only in density to its neighbor Stevens Square. Whittier was part of Ward 6 until redistricting in 2013, which placed Whittier in Ward 10 . Ward 10 is currently represented by Minneapolis City Council Member Aisha Chughtai . The neighborhood is currently officially represented by the Whittier Alliance, a community organization founded in 1977, which

450-637: The Calhoun-Isles community to the west and Stevens Square neighborhood in the Central community to the north. In the 1800s, Mdewakanton Dakota occupied the area from Saint Anthony Falls toward the Minnesota River following their migration from Mille Lacs Lake and the onward expansion of the quarreling Ojibwa . Temporary Dakota camps were photographed in Whittier which are in the MNHS catalog. In 1849 at

495-556: The Central community in Minneapolis . It is bordered on Lyndale Avenue on the west, Franklin Avenue on the south, and Interstates 94 and 35W on the north and east, respectively. The portion west of Nicollet Avenue can be referred to as Loring Heights; the portion to the East as Stevens Square. Although it is one of the densest neighborhoods in Minneapolis today, Stevens Square-Loring Heights

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540-519: The Milwaukee Road as neighbors petitioned the City Council from 1905 to 1909 to alleviate the effects of the crossings which was blamed for several deaths. The Milwaukee Road offered a failed proposal to elevate the tracks and returned with a $ 1.3 million plan to depress the tracks and construct a dozen road bridges. After a legal battle with the businesses affected by loss of rail access, the project

585-483: The 11 (on 3rd Ave S), and the 17 (also on Nicollet Ave). Although the neighborhood was considered as part of the routing for the METRO Green Line extension , an alternate route (bypassing the neighborhood) was chosen. The planned Nicollet-Central Streetcar would pass directly through the neighborhood. In addition, there is a Nice Ride station located at the corner of Franklin and Nicollet, providing easy access to

630-515: The Black Forest Inn, opened in 1965 at the corner of 26th and Nicollet, becoming the avenue's main restaurant anchor for decades. As Whittier gained a bohemian culture for its cheap housing, the Artist Quarter jazz club was opened in the 1970s on the adjoining corner establishing a music anchor in the region. During this time, Chinese and Vietnamese businesses began opening on Nicollet following

675-498: The Emily Peake Memorial Garden was established at the corner of Third Avenue and 19th St, in part to discourage what was then a favorite location for drug sales. In recent decades, crime has declined precipitously, although some quality-of-life problems persist. In 1989, Stevens Square was locally designated a historical district, with national designation coming in 1993. Several important arterial streets pass through

720-534: The K-Mart was demolished and as of April 2024, plans are underway for new Nicollet Redevelopment. The population of Whittier is 14,483. The neighborhood is 52.8% non-Hispanic White , 23.3% Black , 13.6% Hispanic or Latino , 3.5% Asian , and 6.8% other. The top five single ancestries in 2000 were German (1,780 people), Subsaharan African (1,070 people), Norwegian (870 people), Irish (830 people), and Somali (490 people). About 82% of households rent. Whittier

765-599: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In November 1967, Interstate 35W was built around the neighborhood to spare the Mansion District which was later preserved in its current historic district. Whittier experienced decline as middle-class residents moved out. The demolition of Nicollet Ball Park in Lyndale neighborhood led to retail failure on the neighborhood's south end. Abandoned buildings and adult bookstores prompted

810-476: The Vietnam War. The Hip Sing Tong branch headquarters at 2633 Nicollet may explain the presence. Mexican businesses too opened but later in the 1980s on as they became a growing proportion of the immigrant population. Recognizing the street's potential, the Whittier Alliance and Business Association created a new branding scheme called Eat Street . It was completed in 1997 with a street scape reconstruction along

855-482: The age of 21, John T. Blaisdell moved from Maine and squatted on land just south of downtown Minneapolis. His brothers eventually came and together they lived in a log house which became Blaisdell School. Following the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux which expropriated lands to the United States, Blaisdell developed the area south of Downtown Minneapolis into Blaisdell's Addition. For capital, he sold timber to

900-569: The apartment buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Although Stevens Square faced many of the same challenges which confronted other inner-city neighborhoods through the 1990s, the neighborhood has seen significant increases in safety and average income in recent years. These have been attributed both to a successful Neighborhood Revitalization Program and to limited gentrification , with many apartments buildings converted to condominiums or co-ops . Before

945-410: The arrival of European settlers, the area was inhabited by Dakota Sioux . Although the area was platted in 1856, it remained sparsely occupied for several decades. Most land in the area was purchased by Richard Mendenhall, who developed the land into a small number of large houses and several massive greenhouses, which supplied Mendenhall's floral business. However, the neighborhood's central location and

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990-620: The booming lumber industry and leased land for the Morrison Farm in the east, which the Morrisons eventually purchased. After the Blaisdell brothers returned from the Civil War in 1865, Minneapolis began growing in population again. Annexations in 1867 and 1883 turned Blaisdell's Addition into South Minneapolis. Entrepreneurs and businessmen soon moved out of Downtown East and built their mansions in

1035-508: The city to establish the Nicollet/Lake Economic Development District in 1972. Several years passed without activity as Target and Herberger's refused to build. K-Mart finally agreed to become a tenant on the grounds that the City close Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street, and the project was done in 1978. However a boon for the city, the closing accelerated the neighborhood's problems and Nicollet north of Lake Street

1080-761: The city's bike sharing system. The half of the neighborhood east of Nicollet Avenue (Stevens Square) is part of City Council Ward 6, while the part to the west (Loring Heights) is in Ward 7. The whole neighborhood is represented in the Minnesota State House of Representatives in district 62A, in the Minnesota State Senate in district 62, and in the United States House of Representatives in Minnesota's 5th congressional district . Several buildings within

1125-514: The city, families would soon call their neighborhoods after the primary school. Called the "millionaire pioneer of the city" by the New York Times, John T. Blaisdell died in 1898. Into the 20th century, Thomas Lowry and his partners assumed control of the insolvent McCrory's Motor Line. Whittier filled along Lowry's new Nicollet Ave. and 4th Ave. streetcar routes. The increasingly residential nature of southern Minneapolis brought contention with

1170-438: The corner of 24th Street and Nicollet Avenue. Behind this building, at the corner of 24th Street and Blaisdell Avenue, the "play yard" occupies the former site of a Dayton's family mansion. Whittier School had moved to Blaisdell Avenue and closed in the 1960s. After the departure of Whittier High, the Whittier Alliance led an effort with its NRP capital to build the new Whittier International Elementary School , constructed on

1215-478: The east half of Whittier Park in 2001. This public school serves a population of 350 students in grades K-5. The Minneapolis Japanese School , a weekend Japanese educational program designated by the Japanese Ministry of Education , previously held its classes at MCAD. Stevens Square, Minneapolis Stevens Square (officially Stevens Square-Loring Heights ) is the southernmost neighborhood of

1260-540: The entire corridor. The abandoned Milwaukee Road trench also gained renewed interest during this time for re-use as a rails to trails transportation corridor. The Midtown Community Works and Midtown Greenway Coalition formed and federal funds were acquired for redevelopment. The first phase of the new Midtown Greenway was built in 1999 and entirely finished in Minneapolis by 2005. In the 2000s, after nearly two decades of private sector disinvestment, three major condominium projects were completed along Nicollet Avenue. In 2011

1305-656: The history of the Target Corporation , placing it in a historical context with the Dayton family and their department store Daytons . Such examinations of local companies are common in the magazine; the Winter 2012 issue explored Northwest Airlines in the 1930s. Whittier, Minneapolis Whittier is a neighborhood within the Powderhorn community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis , Minnesota , bounded by Franklin Avenue on

1350-408: The limits of fire codes at the time, maximizing land coverage and density while building to the three and a half story limits established for non-fire safe construction. Most of the older buildings in the neighborhood were constructed by the mid-1920s, when a slump in the housing market combined with a lack of available land drastically slowed the pace of further construction. Although the neighborhood

1395-656: The neighborhood are listed on the National Register of Historic Places . These include the historic Amos B. Coe House on Third Avenue, which is home to the Minnesota African American History Museum and Cultural Center; the Abbott Hospital , now apartments, displays an architectural view of the progression of the medical industry, and the George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen House , a Richardsonian Romanesque mansion now used as an event space. The bells of

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1440-424: The neighborhood is officially part of the greater Powderhorn community, it is separated from most of those areas by Interstate 35W, and also lies further north than the rest of the community area. Most of Powderhorn is east of Interstate 35W and south of Lake Street; the Whittier neighborhood is west of I-35W and north of Lake Street. Whittier is often associated with adjacent neighborhoods, such as Lowry Hill East in

1485-484: The neighborhood to the southern boundaries. In 1882, Blaisdell built his manor at Nicollet and 24th Street West. The family moved out of Blaisdell School. A year later, Blaisdell, Longfellow and Irving Schools across the southern prairie were annexed to the Minneapolis school system from Hennepin County. In naming tradition with the other schools, the board renamed the school Whittier after the 19th century poet and abolitionist, John Greenleaf Whittier . Like other areas of

1530-448: The neighborhood, including Nicollet Avenue (Eat Street), First Avenue, and Franklin Avenue. In addition, the neighborhood has easy access to nearby Interstate highways, and to downtown Minneapolis, located less than a mile to the north. In addition, the neighborhood is served by several important transit lines, including the high-frequency 18 bus on Nicollet, as well as the 2 (on Franklin Ave),

1575-400: The neighborhood, renovating many buildings and addressing quality-of-life issues in the neighborhood. Much of that renovation was financed by General Mills , which believed there were significant profits to be made in revitalizing the inner city, although disappointing financial returns led the company to divest from the project in 1980. A successful block patrol program was set up, and in 1994

1620-576: The north, Interstate 35W on the east, Lake Street on the south, and Lyndale Avenue on the west. It is known for its many diverse restaurants, coffee shops and Asian markets, especially along Nicollet Avenue (also known as " Eat Street "). The neighborhood is home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art , the Minneapolis College of Art and Design , and the Children's Theatre Company . While

1665-526: The offer, purchasing the site for $ 41,820, financed partly by an assessment on local landowners. The park was named in honor of Col. John H. Stevens , the first authorized settler on the west bank of what would eventually become Minneapolis. Construction on the Abbott Hospital , now converted to apartments, began in 1910. Apartment construction soon followed, largely in the Renaissance Revival style set by Stevens Court. Most buildings were constructed to

1710-621: The present Washburn-Fair Oaks Mansion District . Much of the Morrison's farm was sold for this expansion. Fair Oaks Park, at the center of this district, was formerly the site of William D. Washburn 's mansion. Meanwhile, the southern end of Whittier grew as an agricultural and industrial job center with working-class housing along the Hastings and Dakota tracks of the Milwaukee Road rail line along 29th Street which shipped grain from southern Minnesota. Blaisdell Road became Blaisdell Avenue, extending past

1755-534: The rapid growth of the city in the 1890s, facilitated by the introduction of horse-drawn and then electric streetcars which passed through the area on several streets, made the area an increasingly attractive area for redevelopment. In 1907, the property owners, along with one of the biggest property developers in town, petitioned the Park Board to purchase the site of Stevens Square Park, whose irregular grade made development impractical. The Park Board quickly accepted

1800-404: The story of Hennepin County from its earliest days to the present. Visitors can explore various aspects of local history, including: The museum offers a variety of public programs throughout the year, including lectures, workshops, family events, and tours. These programs provide opportunities for the community to learn more about local history and engage with the museum's collections. The museum

1845-404: The two new Interstates isolated the neighborhood from downtown except by a few bridges on major arterials. Several large high-rise public housing projects were completed in the 1960s, which contributed to the reputation of the neighborhood as dangerous and low-income. Starting in the 1970s, however, an active neighborhood organization and interested landowners began working actively to revitalize

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1890-411: Was originally inhabited primarily by middle-class office workers and single women, by the mid-century the rise of the automobile and white flight to the growing suburbs led to significant decline, as average incomes in the neighborhood dropped precipitously. Although spared from destruction by the construction of Interstate 35W , originally planned to pass directly through the center of the neighborhood,

1935-419: Was originally occupied by a few large mansions. Today, the area is composed mostly of old brownstone apartment buildings or mansions that have been subdivided into apartments, giving the neighborhood a heavy population density within its small geographical area; a short and wide neighborhood, it is nearly a mile long but only three blocks tall. Much of the neighborhood is a National Historic District , and five of

1980-469: Was stifled of car traffic. Crime and prostitution became common. Neighbors who stayed had formed a neighborhood association in response to bitter protests over the K-Mart project. The Whittier Alliance (WA) was established in 1977 to monitor the weakened community and rehabilitate housing. WA operated as a Community Development Corporation, developing housing for many years in order to sustain its operations in community outreach. The City attempted to bring about

2025-431: Was upheld and completed in 1916. The neighborhood maintained a dense population and high rental occupancy up towards the city's population peak in the 1950s. The latter 20th century followed with other inner core neighborhoods as the postwar boom of the 1960s depleted Whittier's population. The routing of Interstate 35W was modified following city concerns over expensive land acquisition of apartments and mansions including

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