Minneapolis, MN
City Center today is downtown Minneapolis’ biggest mistake. But remember the block’s good old days?
The Century Theatre came into being in 1929 on 7th Street between Hennepin and Nicollet avenues. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
There was also the old Strand Theater. It was converted in 1930 to the fabled Forum Cafeteria, a riot of late Art Deco interior design where you could have a humble slice of apple pie in a mirrored wonderland straight out of a Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movie set.
The Forum Cafeteria opened at the refurbished Strand Theater in 1930 and closed in 1975. (Dml -/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
On the 6th Street side, one of the great old hotels was the Dyckman. When it opened in 1910, it featured a lobby wall made of marble, large murals, gilded ceilings with mosaic designs and a fancy wrought-iron marquee. The impressive structure with a famous Parisian-style restaurant was the place for countless anniversary dinners where Mom and Dad could dress up for a fancy night downtown.
The ordinary, glorious urbanity of the block was unparalleled. People still reminisce about Block E, the part of Hennepin Avenue between 6th and 7th streets. It had a tawdry vibe by the time the wrecking balls swung. The City Center block was different. We wouldn’t let it go today. We would regard its demolition as urban murder.
Dyckman Hotel lobby, Minneapolis, December 1933 (Ben Welter/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
At the time of its destruction, of course, mauling a core block was progress. Cities tried to jump-start downtown vitality with indoor malls, with mega-projects that had office towers, a hotel and an anchor department store.
City Center opened strong, and for a while it hummed and buzzed. But as with Gaviidae Common across the street, and Gaviidae Common II between 5th and 6th streets on Nicollet Mall, and the Conservatory between 8th and 9th streets, and the Block E mall, it staggered, sagged, emptied and failed.
Its loss today would mean nothing to anyone.