lowertown

Northern Spark is Tonight!

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

 Northern Spark art festival starts at 8:58 PM and goes until 5:30 AM on Sunday.  I have been looking forward to this event for months.  This years event is going to be in the Lowertown neighborhood of downtown St. Paul. 

I went in 2011 and had a wonderful time.  Much of this years event will be in and around the newly renovated union depot.  There will be various art project in the form of music, poetry, lights, sculpture, dance and who knows what else.   Use the Northern Sparks, web site to get some ideas about what you want to see or just show up and wander around.  There are also mobile apps for Android or iPhone that might be useful.

bike
Taken at the all night art festival in 2011

The hole at 5th and Wall

Posted on by Teresa Boardman

Last November I wrote about the hole in the ground as 5th and Wall Street (yes that is right St. Paul has a Wall street) in downtown St. Paul.  The hole was the begining of what was supposed to to the Farmers Market Lofts.  They were to be built and ready for occuapncy in 2007 or 2008 but we all know what happened.  The housing market crashed and there just wasn’t a market for the condos.   Now a building is being built on the site and it will house 48 or so market rate apartments.  The city of St. Paul is the developer and it would have cost the city money to fill in the hole which may have been a less expensive option but I want to be optimistic about housing and downtown.

I took this photo last November.

the hole at 5th & Wall
the hole at 5th & Wall

I took this photo on July 24, 2011

5th and Wall
Farmers Market Flats - 5th and Wall

It is hard to even imagine and empty hole and it wouldn’t be a bad place to live.  One block from light rail, across the street from the farmer’s market and I believe there will be an indoor market inside the building.  Mears park is only a block away.

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