The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-10
BLAISDELL DISTRICT
CENTER FOR HOMES
Section Between Nicollet and Pleasant Avenues,
Franklin and Twenty-fifth Street. Is Inter
esting Because of the Peculiar circumstances
Which Controlled Its Marketing in Package
Form Insuring Uniform Appearance.

Form, !" Insuring a I'm
0NE Of the most interesting sec. sec.
tions Of f., Mi Rs;.ge is a;.+ that
which is rapidly becoming center for
between Nicollet and Pleasant avenues
and Franklin avenue and Twenty hfth
street.
It is interesting for two reasons.
Owing to the peculiar circumstances
which prevented it's marketing, except
in entirety, it has a remarkably uni
form modern appearance. It was one
Of the first districts to-. be PLACED on
the market in what has been called, IN
the phraseology of real estate circles,
package FORM This means that the
innovation of selling lots in condition
for immediate. building was Pra;etne! e4
A good deal of good-natured tac ut
rivalry has existed between Lowry Hill
would be the star residence district OF
Z. Minneapolis. Both are being blessed
these days with frequent access1ons.
The Blaisdell district is somewhat more
hood, and therefore showing more uni
formity, as Lowry Hill has been under:
construction for several years.
Sold Several Acres.
The Blaisden neighborhood came into
special publicity at the time former
:, former Dayton building at Sixth and
Nicollet from George D. Dayton, and
sold him several acres in the neighbor-
shoor of Franklin avenue and Blalsdeu.
Before there had been no activity in the
region. At the time Of the sale Mr.
Dayton determined to place the prop,
erty on the market at once. He turned
Walter L. Badger, who had negotiated
the big sale, about five years ago.
Mr. Badger went into the work with
great zeal and soon had crews of labor
ers grading down the hills, filing the
gullies, putting in sidewalks and trees,
began and the property has been rap
idly taken by buyers who have put up
excellent houses The district has been
invaded by only one fiat building and
that was finally permitted by the neigh
bors after they had grasped the Faw-
eett plan Of isolated apartment ouse
building. The Hampton, as it is called,
is now tolerated with very good grace
as unique type of fiat.
Inc z aIu1y Ie1aclCy.% -
The history Of the Blaisdell property
is interesting as showing the tenacity
with which the family held on, notwith-
terest was making on the land. John
T. Blaisdell took up the land from the
government about 1857. For many
years he used it as farm property, and
within a decade it was still called the
Blaisdell farm. The property was
finally plated, but not sold off. Mr.
Blaisdell and his heirs held it at such
surresundn ee property that Va mo- o1 e
would buy. The expense of carrying
the land was such that little improve
sment was made during the life Of the
owner. In time it passed unde-' mort
gage foreclosure to the hands of others
bury and then to Mr.. Dayton
The first attempt at building to any
pretentious extent was made by }
r Frank Collum at Franklin and Blaisdell
Had the building been finished 1t wouIe
be now the representative type 0.
house architecture and construction il
Minneapolis, without doubt. It wa
Of variegated colored stone, Of iron AM
brick Owing to financial trouble
which overlook the owner the house
was never finished and only four year
ago the ruins Of the partly finished
was finally sold by Nickels & Smith t,
Eugene Carpenter and A. T. Rand. Nj
Rand has since improved his inside 10
with fine house and stable of unusua
type of architecture.
For Generous Streets.
The far-sighted plan for generou
streets which Mr.. Blaisdel adopte
rx,hoy, ho nj offa1 ho nronertv hoo q n
the district an unusual one. Fou
blocks running north and south occup
the space usually allotted In Mime
apolis to five. None Of the streets ar
less than 80 feet wide and no lot
are less than 165 feet deep to the alley
and one less tier Of blocks, as con
pared with neighboring property. Th
effect of this is very noticeable in
general view Of the region AS soon q
the land passed into the hands Of NJ
Dayton it was prepared for SALE.
Attic the Dayton property which NJ
Badger, controls is not SO large, tn
Blaisdell district extends from Clifto
to Twenty-sixth street and from Nj
ollet to Pleasant, crossing Blaisdell an
Pillsbury avenues.
The high quality Of the Vine plae
properties is so well known as to r
quire no further descriptions than
uau1uR u Gueul. IOM C1l1 GOu
Franklin are the fine homes of W.
Cockey, G. g. Goodrich, Levi Longfe
low, G.. R. Newell, Messrs. F. G. Va
Dusen, James Quirk, Henry T.. Littl
A. s. Harris and Mrs. A. T. Rand.
In. the newer part above Frank
are the homes of Mrs. Hahn, L. B. Ne1
ell, Messrs. A. T. Rand, Dayton, He
Dirk, Knight and the Hampton. Abo'
Twenty-second is the new home of Nc
ris Mcdonald, a Spanish mission tyr
and those of { Messrs. Nc earthly, {
house and Edwards From Twent
fourth to Twenty-ffth homes ha
been built lately by Matthew McDo
aid, Hanley and F1annery. While t
corner above has been bought by A.
Clark, the attorney.
Pillsbury Avenue.
Pilsbury avenue does not yield t
palm by any means to Blaisdel.
has been more recently built up tn
# the other and has still many 'yaca
stretches which will be the future Sit
Of expensive houses. First comes t