Great Moments in "Oops, I Missed My Turn"

Sometimes buildings get in the way.

No helmet, no reflective clothing. smh. https://t.co/1kC6Z4GLoM

— § (@section_sign) November 1, 2015

A driver crashed a vehicle into the dry cleaner at 2500 Hennepin early Sunday morning. It's happened before, in far more spectacular fashion, just one block north. In 2005, the driver of a van nearly demolished the building at 2400 Hennepin (which still houses Sudz Salon, as well as newer occupant Spyhouse Coffee). 

News coverage of the 2005 crash reprinted below—as always, without permission.

Draft of LHE Historic District Study

We have obtained a draft of the Lowry Hill East Residential Historic District designation study. Is your house "contributing" or "non-contributing"? It's time to start judging your neighbors.

The Historic Wedge Newspaper

Two of the early hand-drawn front pages.

Last fall, the @WedgeLIVE news team spent an insane number of hours in the remarkably luxurious and well-equipped Special Collections room of the Minneapolis Central Library, doing what no one else thought possible or necessary: scanning nearly 40 years of the Wedge neighborhood newspaper going back to 1970.

Lowry Hill East 1970s Downzoning Timeline

From the Wedge newspaper. November, 1975.

Orthghazi: A 2320 Colfax Timeline

2320 Colfax on February 13th, 2015.

You may have heard of the house controversy that's rocking Lowry Hill East. But unless you're a house superfan, you probably have no idea what it's about. With the demolition of 2320 Colfax nearly upon us, here's a handy timeline to get you up to speed on Orthghazi.

Violence Against Houses

It can be hard for carpetbaggers to understand the special relationship between the Wedge's long-time residents and certain neighborhood buildings. It's a forbidden love; the house belongs to someone other than the love-struck neighbor, and a deep affection only materializes when the owner finds another suitor. To help me understand this dynamic, I spend an absurd amount of time poring over old newspaper articles. As an example of my ignorance, when I came upon the headline, RAPE IN THE WEDGE, I just assumed it wasn't a weirdly offensive metaphor for perceived crimes against houses (sorry, I gave away the surprise ending).

The Basketball NIMBYs

Just under the feather boas, Mueller Park's dark underbelly.

The 1974 plans for Lowry Hill East Park (as Mueller Park was originally known) put the basketball court on the western side, along Colfax Avenue. Two hoops were available for full-court play until they were demolished as part of a park renovation that began on May 4th, 1998. The newly renovated Mueller Park opened later that summer with one half-court hoop, located on the Bryant Avenue side of the park. Considering the events of the intervening years, those of us who live in the neighborhood today are lucky to have any basketball court at all.

The Weird '90s

This is part of an ongoing series on Wedge history, culled from the archives of the Wedge newspaper. We wish we could direct you to a gofundme page devoted to saving the historic Wedge newspaper, but it's too late. It died in 2013--nobody vigiled.

Early 90s LHENA was Bizzaro World.

The early 90s was a weird time in Wedge history. LHENA had one board member named “Bizzaro” and another named Basim Sabri (if you’ve ever wondered why LHENA has Texas-style voter ID requirements, it all dates back to the Sabri-era). Weirdest of all: LHENA's board voted out their new president, in a secret ballot, for what seems like manufactured nonsense.

If You Thought House Vigils Were Good...

This is the true story of LHENA's 1977 protest against an adult bookstore at Lyndale and Lake. Michael Lander is lucky these people aren't bringing bags of "stuff" to his neighbors. Not that I'm equating Michael Lander with pornography (though his new development is an obscenity, as well as an affront to family values and porch culture).

Where Will They Park Their Zeppelins?

In 1976 LHENA got together with some architects and planners, and collaborated with them on something called the Wedge Design Framework Plan. This proposal includes one-way conversions for all north-south streets; it would have turned Aldrich, Colfax, and Emerson Avenues into cul-de-sacs at 29th street. It's also got diagonal parking (LHENA later disapproved this) and a rec center for cats (I don't know what became of this). Bonus points if you can find the zeppelin.

UPDATE: Santa Claus Picks a Side

We have an update to yesterday's post about homeowner-renter conflict. In the December 1972 issue of the Wedge newspaper, Santa came out against apartment dwellers. When I get to the January 1973 issue, I'll let you know if Christmas was cancelled due to renters.

Renters make Santa sad.