Minneapolis Mill District – Preservation, and “best-of” Re-Imagination!
Every once in a while, you discover a place that completely changes your impression of a city—and Minneapolis’ Mill District did exactly that during a recent visit that my wife and I made to visit some of her dear friends . Along a spectacular stretch of the Mississippi River, massive stone ruins, historic mills and bridges now mingle with striking contemporary architecture, parks, restaurants and entertainment. Rather than sweeping its industrial history away, Minneapolis built an exciting new neighborhood right through it—and the result is extraordinary.
This was once the powerhouse of American flour milling, where St. Anthony Falls helped transform Minneapolis into the legendary “Mill City.” Today, you can walk among those remnants at Mill Ruins Park, where old stone foundations, waterways and trails make history part of the landscape itself. Nearby, the wonderful Mill City Museum, ingeniously incorporated into the ruins of the Washburn A Mill, brings that…