University Avenue Groups Receives Grant from Minnesota 150 (State Sesquicentennial Committee) to Document History at the Intersection of University and Prior Avenues
Where is the exact geographic center of the Twin Cities? And what do we know about its history?
Some believe that the intersection of University and Prior Avenues in St. Paul is the center, and claim that there was a floor marker in a restaurant, now gone, that marked the exact spot. While some of the early buildings and activities are no longer present, there remains a considerable historical record showing what life was like on this corner, going back to the time when the State of Minnesota was founded.
Over the next six months a group of residents and businesses in this neighborhood will set out to discover all that happened at the intersection, and their findings will be presented in an exhibit at a storefront at this corner. The newly formed organization, called the University Avenue History Group, will also publish their research in a brochure, and post it on-line as a virtual exhibit. This is seen as a first effort that will hopefully expand to other areas along the length of University Avenue, from the State Capitol to the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota. It is anticipated that hundreds of people will be involved in researching the history of this Avenue, which played such a critical role in the development of the region.
Maps, property records, business records, newspaper accounts, and the like, will be scoured. Considerable information is known about one of the early important businesses, Barrett and Zimmerman, a horse trading firm. There were also lumber yards, businesses tied in to the railroads, restaurants, motels, a bridge, and a long gone YMCA facility. Because of its central location and proximity to the huge rail transfer yard, this corner has a fascinating history that sheds light on the development of the entire region and state.
Several of businesses at this intersection today have been there for generations. The family that owns a commercial property called the Zimmerman Building started out as the horse traders Barrett and Zimmerman, and have been doing business on this corner for four generations. There are other adjoining two and three generation businesses which will hopefully participate in this research. This intersection represents in microcosm the larger changes that have occurred over time in our region. The Barrett and Zimmerman Horse Brokerage building is now owned by an organization of African immigrants who have established the Eritrean Community Center. This is a critical transitional moment in the history of the corridor, as plans for a new light rail line will undoubtedly bring about major changes. This research project will help document the important history of the corridor, and may help shape its future development.
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