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.
MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) — A popular Broadway show will be hitting a Minnesota stage this fall. Mamma Mia! will jump-start the Broadway on Hennepin series at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis from September 15th to the 20th.
Mamma Mia! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages.
The 25th Anniversary production of Mamma Mia! made its return to Broadway last year for a limited run at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it got its start. The show also had a record-setting 14-year run on Broadway and toured from 2000 to 2017 with four different touring companies.
Mamma Mia! has grossed over $7 billion at the box office.
It inspired the blockbuster smash starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Amanda Seyfried as well. The 2018 follow-up, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time.
Mamma Mia! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Anthony Van Laast. Tickets for the show go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Friday.
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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
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A child was seriously injured after a car hit them in an alley in Minneapolis on Saturday morning.
Minneapolis police say a child was playing in an alley near 29th Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue North around 11:30 a.m. when a car hit them. The child was brought to the hospital with potentially-life-threatening injuries, police added.
The child’s age was not released by law enforcement.
The driver of the car stayed at the scene and is cooperating with law enforcement, Minneapolis police said.
There have been no arrests at this time.
A Minneapolis man is behind bars after stabbing a woman early Saturday morning.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers responded to a stabbing around 12:30 a.m. near the intersection of W 24th St. and Pillsbury Avenue. Officers found an adult woman with a non-life-threatening injury consistent with an edged blade.
Authorities said a man known to the woman stabbed her after a verbal argument escalated.
Police arrested a 49-year-old man and is currently at the Hennepin County Jail, pending a second-degree domestic assault charge.
Police said no one else was hurt. The case remains under investigation.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, several resources are available to offer help. For immediate help, contact:
More than 12 million people just in the U.S. are affected by domestic violence every year, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
The organizations listed above can help connect victims to resources like safe shelter, advocacy, legal help and support groups.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline also offers tips for identifying abuse and supporting victims of abuse. CLICK HERE to see those.
Other organizations that can help include:
Minnesota also has a list of many other resources for victims of crimes that can be found HERE.
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