May 2009 
There are 10 blog entries for May 2009.
Minneapolis Parks, Summer and The Arts
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 10:59am. 815 Views, 0 Comments.
Minneapolis really, really, really, really, REALLY loves two things dearly: Its parks and the arts. So it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of artistic endeavors and other activities happening in Minneapolis parks this summer.
First is Ideawerks. Since 2003, the Institute of Production and Recording (IPR) has facilitated a music recording studio in the Powderhorn Recreation Center. The studio has provided a number of neighborhood youth access to equipment so they could learn to produce and record music. Great interest in the program has resulted in a partnership between IPR the Jackie Lee Robinson Foundation, and the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board to enhance the studio. Additionally, the Ideawerks program will eventually make…
Architectural Style - Italian Palladian
Saturday, May 23rd, 2009 at 11:02am. 1497 Views, 0 Comments.
Italian Palladianism is a philosophy of design based on the writings and work of Andrea Palladio. Andrea Palladio, born in Italy in 1508, was a Venetian architect. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential architects in the history of Western architecture. He himself was influenced by Roman and Greek design.
He started out in life as a stone mason, but he began studying architecture in the 1550s. Powerful friends and associates of his introduced him to Venice, where he became "Proto della Serenissima" (chief architect of the Republic of Venice). It was during this time, and up until his death in 1580, that he developed the style which is now known as Italian Palladianism.
In his work, he tried to recreate the style and proportions of…
Photo Friday - Gold Medal Flour Mill
Friday, May 22nd, 2009 at 10:28pm. 3355 Views, 1 Comments.
This is the Gold Medal Flour mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During 1866, Cadwallader C. Washburn entered the milling business, building a flour mill on the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls. The mill was a 6-story stone structure, with 12 pairs of millstones that had a daily capacity of 840 barrels.
Gold Medal received its name on June 8, 1880, when the Washburn Crosby Company won the gold, silver and bronze medals on the three grades of spring wheat processed flour at the first International Millers' Exhibition. After winning the award, Washburn Crosby began using "Gold Medal" as the brand name on the firm's best grade of flour. On Aug. 19, 1880, the first flour was packaged and shipped from Minneapolis under that name.
Work at the mill…
Architectural Style - Neo-Mediterranean
Saturday, May 16th, 2009 at 11:54am. 2497 Views, 0 Comments.
Neo-Mediterranean is a Neoeclectic style that mixes aspects of Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Moroccan architecture with contemporary North American ideas. Neo-Mediterranean houses are often called Mediterranean or Spanish Style. Some common features of a Neo-Mediterranean house are a low-pitched roof, red roof tiles, stucco siding, arches above doors, windows, or porches, and heavy carved wooden doors.
A Neo-Mediterranean home may resemble the Spanish Revival style, but these homes are not recreations of Spanish Colonial architecture per say. If it weren't for the romantic decorative details, a Neo-Mediterranean home would likely to resemble a Ranch Style house or Raised Ranch style home. There are prime examples of Neo-Mediterranean style architecture…
Photo Friday - Washurn "A" Mill
Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 11:59pm. 1322 Views, 0 Comments.
The Washburn "A" Mill was the second-largest flour mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The original mill was built in 1874 by Cadwallader C. Washburn. At the peak of the mill's production, it could grind over 100 boxcars of wheat into almost 2,000,000 pounds of flour per day. Along with the Pillsbury "A" Mill and other flour mills powered by St. Anthony Falls, Washburn "A" Mill the contributed immensely to the development of Minneapolis.
Greening Minnesota - May
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 12:32pm. 807 Views, 2 Comments.
Because there are so many great environmentally friendly things going on in Minnesota, we like to do these little green updates on the Barker & Hedges blog. May's is inspired by Arbor Day. Okay, if you're up on your earth-friendly observances, you know that Arbor Day is celebrated nationally in April. But this year, some different things have been happening in Minneapolis, I'll get right into explaining it.
First, since last month's Greening Minnesota was so early in the month, I didn't get the chance to tell you about how the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) received the 2009 Celebration Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. The national award is given each year to recognize the community organization whose Arbor Day celebration best…
May Real Estate & Landscaping Classes
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 at 11:19pm. 717 Views, 0 Comments.
It's spring time, I'm pretty sure that most of the frosts have passed (though there was a little on my car at the obscenely early hour of 4:30 AM on Tuesday), and people are getting their Green Thumbs out to spruce up the yard for the selling season. Here are a list of classes being provided by Minneapolis Community Education through the rest of May.
Color and Design with Perennials
This class is taken after the introductory class, "Perennials for Minnesota," and goes into more depth on how to keep your perennial garden blooming all season. Study how different color and plant combinations go together and what perennials grow best in each month. This class costs $18 and takes place Monday, May 18, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Southwest High School, 3414 W.…
Architectural Style - Queen Anne New York Row Houses
Saturday, May 9th, 2009 at 11:30pm. 1169 Views, 0 Comments.
There were lots of different types of New York row houses, including those constructed in the Queen Anne style. Much like the Victorian Queen Anne style single-family homes, these rowhouses became fashionable in the 1880s and 1890s. They are characterized by their asymmetrical forms, front-facing gables, and use of contrasting materials, colors, and textures. Victorian Queen Anne New York Style Row Houses often have ornamental spindles, brackets, and other eccentric and fanciful details with Classical, Renaissance precedents and Romanesque Revival influences. They have a "whimsical juxtaposition" of window pane sizes, often pairing double-hung windows with a small paned upper sash. Three-sided projecting bay windows and and multi-paneled wooded doors are…
Minnesota First Time Home Buyer Forum
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 8:14pm. 34321 Views, 2 Comments.
If you're a prospective first time home buyer, and you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know about our Minnesota First Time Home Buyer site. The website has been created to help first time home buyers with their research into purchasing a home. If you aren't aware of it, now you are! Let it be a resource to you if you are buying your first home in the Twin Cities or beyond.
But more to the point, this blog post is about a new feature at the Minnesota First Time Home Buyer site: A Forum.
The process of purchasing a home may seem overwhelming. There are many sources for first time home buyers to learn from and they all provide different information. The more knowledge you have about the home buying process, the more confident you will…
Photo Friday - Southeast Steam Plant
Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 2:12am. 730 Views, 0 Comments.
The Southeast Steam Plant, also known as the Twin City Rapid Transit Company Steam Power Plant, is a combined heat and power plant located on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It is owned by the University of Minnesota. Constructed in 1903 to provide electricity for the Twin City Rapid Transit street railway system, it supported the area's major form of public transportation for 50 years until Minneapolis converted entirely to buses in 1954. In the early 1950s, Northern States Power Company, which is now Xcel Energy, acquired the building and in 1976 the university purchased the plant.
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