Longfellow, Minneapolis
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Longfellow is a defined
community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota which includes five smaller neighborhoods inside of it: Seward,
Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...
,
Hiawatha Hiawatha ( , also : ), also known as Ayenwathaaa or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some account ...
,
Howe Howe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Howe (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters * Howe Browne, 2nd Marquess of Sligo (1788–1845), Irish peer and colonial governor Titles * Earl Howe, two titles, an ext ...
and
Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
. The community is a mix of agri-industrial properties along the old Northern Pacific Railway, expansive parkland surrounding the famous
Minnehaha Falls Minnehaha Park is a city park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and home to Minnehaha Falls and the lower reaches of Minnehaha Creek. Officially named Minnehaha Regional Park, it is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sy ...
, and smaller residential areas. The community is grouped with South Minneapolis between the city's eastern border with the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...
and the Metro Blue Line, Longfellow takes its name from Longfellow neighborhood which in turn is named after
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...
. The renowned American poet incorporated elements into his poem ''
The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his l ...
'' from
Henry Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi R ...
's accounts of native
Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, ...
lore in Minnesota which included
Minnehaha Falls Minnehaha Park is a city park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and home to Minnehaha Falls and the lower reaches of Minnehaha Creek. Officially named Minnehaha Regional Park, it is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sy ...
in Longfellow's southern tip. The early reference of Highway 55 as
Hiawatha Avenue Minnesota State Highway 55 (MN 55) is a highway in west-central, central, and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the North Dakota state line near Tenney and continues east and southeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Hi ...
, along the west border, may have influenced the naming decision when community borders were drawn in the 1960s. Hiawatha Avenue is the main thoroughfare leading north into Downtown Minneapolis and south to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport. Longfellow is home to the Danish American Center,
Minnehaha Academy Minnehaha Academy (often abbreviated MA) is a Christian private school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, for students in preschool through 12th grade, and established in 1913. There are two campuses, the South Campus for preschool thr ...
, Christ Church and the
Longfellow House The Longfellow House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is a 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1907, the house was neither seen nor lived in by Longfellow (who died in 1882), b ...
. The area is typically recognized by bungalow style Craftsman homes built in the 1920s. However it also contains the Ray and Kay Price House, designed by the famed
Ralph Rapson Ralph Rapson (September 13, 1914 – March 29, 2008) was Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Minnesota for 30 years. He was one of the world's oldest practicing architects at his death at age 93, and also one of the most ...
, and the Frederick Lang House, designed by Herb Fritz.
Minnehaha Falls Minnehaha Park is a city park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and home to Minnehaha Falls and the lower reaches of Minnehaha Creek. Officially named Minnehaha Regional Park, it is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board sy ...
is a national attraction and an important cultural node of the Twin Cities. The neighborhood's central corridor runs along East 42nd Avenue and is home to many businesses including the
Riverview Theater The Riverview Theater is a Movie theater, cinema in the Howe, Minneapolis, Howe neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, the theater was built by theater owners Bill and Sidney Volk in 1948. After ...
, Turtle Bread Company, The Blue Door Pub and Mother Earth Gardens. Along the northern edge runs the
Midtown Greenway The Midtown Greenway is a rail trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota that follows the path of an abandoned route of the Milwaukee Road railway. It is considered under segregated cycle facilities. Used both recreationally and for commuting, the p ...
trail and the vibrant East Lake business district, which is home to many award winning restaurants including Town Talk Diner (destroyed by arson in 2020), Sonora Grill, and The Bungalow Club. The west border was once an agri-industrial and milling processing center served by the Northern Pacific Railway. Today the grain silos and factories along the length of the highway are set to make way for new residential condos, apartment buildings, and a new greenway connecting Minnehaha Falls and the Midtown Greenway. This area is also anchored by the Minnehaha Mile, a biking street that contains more antique, vintage, retro, and secondhand shops than any other commercial corridor in the state of Minnesota


History

The city did not acquire land south of Franklin Avenue until 1881 and 1883 with the last half of Longfellow annexed in 1887 from Richfield. The area was largely built from 1906 through the 1920s when streetcar and residential rail became accessible. Also the advent of ready-to-assemble homes such as
Sears Catalog Homes Sears Modern Homes were catalog and kit houses sold primarily through mail order by Sears, Sears, Roebuck and Co., an United States, American retailer. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 of these houses in North America, by the comp ...
made homeownership accessible to the primarily immigrant population of the city who could not afford the carpentry or craftsmanship to build single-family homes (or mansions) of the era. Most of these early homeowners were first and second generation Scandinavians who moved out from Cedar Riverside. Even by 1930, the south area was still a major immigrant hub compared to the southwest area with a high foreign-born or second generation population. Longfellow's popular ''
The Song of Hiawatha ''The Song of Hiawatha'' is an 1855 epic poem in trochaic tetrameter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which features Native American characters. The epic relates the fictional adventures of an Ojibwe warrior named Hiawatha and the tragedy of his l ...
'' spurred national interest in Minnehaha Falls and his name became associated with the area. The poet's name would be further emphasized when the
Longfellow House The Longfellow House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is a 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1907, the house was neither seen nor lived in by Longfellow (who died in 1882), b ...
was built in 1906. A local businessman, Robert Fremont "Fish" Jones, commissioned the 2/3 scale replica of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's original home in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
. The house was placed as part of the
Longfellow Zoological Gardens The Longfellow Zoological Gardens (sometimes simply called the Longfellow Gardens) were a zoo and garden in Minneapolis's Minnehaha neighborhood in Minnesota, United States. History A Minneapolis businessman and showman named Robert "Fish" Jones ...
at 4001 Minnehaha Parkway East, which Jones ran. Jones died in 1934 and the house was deeded to the city. For a short period it was a Minneapolis public library serving the community until it was moved and restored by the Park Board in 1994 to its current location near Minnehaha Falls. It is now an interpretive and information center for the Minneapolis Park System. The community was the center of widespread civil unrest during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul in May 2020, with the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct station and many local businesses among those destroyed by arson.


Attractions

Cheatham Avenue is named after John Cheatham, one of the first Black firefighters in Minneapolis.
Hiawatha Avenue Minnesota State Highway 55 (MN 55) is a highway in west-central, central, and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the North Dakota state line near Tenney and continues east and southeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Hi ...
Mural on the Harvest States grain elevator was designed by artist Sara Rotholz Weiner. Completed in 1990, it is a defining feature of the neighborhood.
Lock and Dam No. 1 Ford Dam, officially known as Lock and Dam No. 1, is on the Upper Mississippi River and is located between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota just north of the confluence of the Mississippi with the Minnesota River at Mississippi River mile 84 ...
is located on the southern edge of the neighborhood and offers a bird's-eye view of the locking procedure and other topics ranging from barge traffic in the transportation network to the Corps 9-foot channel project.
Min Hi Line Min Hi Line is a proposed linear park and shared-use path that would eventually re-purpose an active rail and agri-industrial corridor in the Longfellow community of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Modeled after successful projects like t ...
is a proposed linear park and shared-use pathway for an active agricultural-industrial rail corridor. Two pilot projects were completed in 2018 and 2019, and many housing and commercial developments line the corridor. Minnehaha Park is a historic city park on the shores of the Mississippi River that includes picnic areas, trails, sculpture and the 53 foot falls. An old snack shack in the Minnehaha Pavilion is home to the popular Sea Salt Eatery. Minnehaha Recording Company is a recording studio built into a 1939 Philips 66 Gas Station on Minnehaha Avenue and 45th Street. Founded in 2014, the studio has hosted such artists as
Charlie Parr Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician. Born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent part of his childhood in Hollandale before starting his music career in Duluth. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave ...
,
Chris Mulkey Chris Mulkey (born May 3, 1948) is an American film and television actor. Career Mulkey played the supporting role of husband to Annie Potts's character in '' Any Day Now'' from 1998 to 2002. He has also appeared in '' Captain Phillips'', '' ...
, Communist Daughter,
Prof Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
,
Krizz Kaliko Samuel William Christopher Watson IV (born March 7, 1974), better known by his stage name Krizz Kaliko, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is a longtime collaborator with fellow hometown native Tech N9ne and was signe ...
, Human Impact, Ecid, and
Brian Ritchie Brian Ritchie (born November 21, 1960) is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Violent Femmes. Ritchie was born and raised in the United States and is currently a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia, with his full-time residence i ...
.
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a and protected corridor along the Mississippi River through the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, to just downstream of H ...
provides trails for biking and hiking on along the river and provides access to sandy beaches and viewing points. The area’s 5-mile
Winchell Trail Winchell Trail is a round trip, pedestrian-only trail in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that runs along the west side of the Mississippi River between Franklin Avenue South and East 44th Street. Popular with bird watchers and naturalist ...
along the river’s bluff offers a rustic hiking experience in the city. '' Purple Rain'' house of “The Kid” is located on Snelling Avenue. It was used for exterior scenes in the movie. The house, purchased by Prince eight months before his death and owned by his estate, is a popular tourist destination for fans of the movie.


Shopping Districts

Minnehaha Mile is a street containing nine antique, vintage, retro, and secondhand shops, more than any other commercial corridor in the state of Minnesota. East Lake Street is a commercial corridor that hosts an extraordinary collection of restaurants that serve foods from around the world and unique shopping & business venues.


Notable residents

*
Eric Dregni Eric Dregni is an American author. He is an associate professor of English and Journalism at Concordia University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where he teaches writing. He has written or cowritten travel memoirs and essays about Minnesota, Norway, ...
, Writer * Jonathan Goldstein, Author and Podcaster *
Brynn Arens Brynn Arens (born April 7, 1961) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is best known as guitarist and frontman of the rock band Flipp, as well as guitarist for the alternative rock ban ...
, Singer/songwriter


References


External links


Longfellow Community Council

Twin Cities Bungalow Club

Longfellow outlier: Suburbia on the banks of the Mississippi
{{Minneapolis neighborhoods Communities in Minneapolis