St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-12
HENNEPIN'S BIG BOOM.
The Broad Avenue Seeking to Regain
Prestige as the Big Retail
Street.
A Mammoth Retail Block to Go Up on
the Walker Property in the
Spring.
Notes of Construction About
the City.

Old, conservative and patrician Hennepin
avenue is making desperate efforts to re-
trieve the prestige it lost when Nicolet
came to the front as the retail street of the
city, and there is some probability of sue
cess. When the postOffice building was
located on First avenue the friends of Hen
nepin mourned. just as they rejoiced when
the West hotel went up. OF later months,
when Hennepin carried off the Masonic
temple, its admirers began to look up.
though the question then was. not whether
Hennepin could Oyertake Nicolet, but
whether a second street would not spring
up and rival it. In Minneapolis NlcoIlet
avenue is the Broadway and Washington
is the combination of the Bowery and Chat
ham, while it has always been the opinion
of many that another thOrougfare would
come to the front as the Sixth avenue, to
carry out the New York similitude Last
year when Second avenue was paved
| it was confidently stated that
it would spring forward as a retail street.
| but the spring has been backward. The
| friends of Sixth street are now feeling very
| jublant over a strongly rooted faith that
within the coming two years it will undergo
a great change from a residence to a bust
ness street. and there is much to justify the
belief Several business blocks on its best
corners are now projected or under way
aud the outlook 1t good
Hennepin avenue. however, has rapidly
come forward, of late. The Boston block
has been rebuilt and is certainly handSomer
than ever The lumber exchange the
Masonic temple public library, Palisades
hotel all magnificent buildings. certainly
place it in the lead. in regard to structures.
| The Hennepin avenue theater is all accom-
pliShed fact and there is talk of large
business block at the corner of Seventh
street and another at Ninth.
The latest building news, however will
be of interest to dry goods dealers as well
as to real estate men. I. B. Walker has
executed a contract with Jordan, Marsh Il
Co.. the Boston dry goods firm, to erect for
their use mammoth store building on his
property, corner of Hennepin and Eighth
streets. 1t will have frontage of $50 feet
on each street and will be eight stories in
height. Work will begin on it as soon as
the frost is out of the ground in the spring,
and it will be pushed to completion as
rapidly as possible. Jordan, Marsh Il Co..
will occupy the entire structure with the
largest dry goods establishment, with one
exception, west of New York.
GENERAL BUILDING NOTES.
| J. Fl. Murch will erect seven story build
ing of improved design, between the West
| hotel and Masonic temple.
| Work on the Hennepiu avenue theater is
rapidly advancing and the roof will be on in
three weeks. The front will be very hand
sOme the material being brown stone, red
| brick and terra Gotta trimmings. J. E.
Sackett was in the city yesterda! superin-
| tending the work.
The lover story of the new government
building is com Deted ana two courses Of
| stones have been laid on the second
The ST. Anthony company's two Zig eleva-
tors are practically completed and the new
annex to the big Union is half up.
The new Nicoet National bank building,
corner Third and Nicollet, is ready for the
roof. 1t is different in style from an thing
in the cit and will have few superors in
| point OF beauty.
1t is believed Gen. Washburn will begin
work in the spring, on his proposed block,
adjoining the postoiice.
| The Eighth ward will this year spend
nearly one million dollars in building resi-
dences.