In honor of throwback Thursday I have some pictures of the smokestack demolition. Ten years ago this week the old NSP power plant smokestack on the Mississippi River was taken down. NSP stood for Northern States Power which eventually became Xcel energy.
I lived within sight of that structure for most of my adult life. There was something oddly comforting about seeing those red blinking lights around the tower at night. I still see it sometimes.
The old power plant burned coal. Occasionally wind would hit the coal piles and the coal dust would get into the house. The power plant that replaced it uses natural gas.
NSP Power plant smokestack – May 27, 2008NSP Power plant demolition
There was this old house on Smith Avenue made of limestone that was apparently built to be a bar or a saloon as they were once called. There is another limestone home close by that is just the summer kitchen of a much larger home that was never built due to a cholera epidemic. St. Paul has a rich and interesting history.
To some folks these older homes are treasures and to others they are just old houses.
This is one of the little stone houses in St. Paul. The Martin Weber house at 202 McBoal street was built in 1867, which makes it one of the older houses in St. Paul but not the oldest on the block. It sits on the limestone river bluff and it is likely that the stone used to build it was quarried right on the site.
The house became the home of a German immigrant and was in his family for many years. It has had a few additions over the years. It was restored many years ago and has been rental property for many years.
This house and others like it remind me of what attracted me to my neighborhood. Part of it is the rich history and the variety of architectural styles. I support preservation and live in an even older house myself.
Houses are for people and as we live in them we become part of their history which is really a part of their story. We lost several small run down historic properties during the great recession and the crash of the housing market. We can never get those houses back but in the end we need to remember that the whole purpose of a house is to be a place for people to live and people are the reason for these structures.
When I talk with historic preservationists I am always interested in learning how their work is going to impact people and the community as a whole. I see this house as a kind of treasure that belongs to all of us and think it is wonderful that it has been home to many people over the years.
Ye old power plant. Built in the 1920’s and obsolete before it was ever used. At one point it was going to be turned into condos but there were all sorts of issues . . . like the river that made the land hard to develop. They demolished the plant about a year ago and now it is just a memory.
Old Power plant
I have lived in St. Paul, MN for so long that I not only know a lot the history but have also experienced quite a bit of it first hand.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t too optimistic about the future of the historic Schmidt Brewery site. It has been vacant since they stopped making beer or ethanol on the site more than a decade ago.
The artists lofts will be affordable rental units. There will be 247 work/live studio type spaces. The lofts are supposed to be completed or mostly completed this fall. I am thrilled to see the progress the brewery being re-used.
This is the oldest barber shop in St. Paul. Located at 925 W. 7th Street, established it 1894. Before that time St. Paulites cut their own hair. maybe sometime I will write about what people did before the first dentist office opened.
barbers
There are not all that many barber shops that still have the old school barber pole and there is only one company in the country that still makes them and that is Marvy Barber Supply Company on Saint Clair Avenue in St. Paul of course.
