The following are all the contributing resources to the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, thus these properties are on the NRHP. The "period of significance" of the District was 1858–1941. The district's archaeological record is considered to be one of the most-endangered historic sites in Minnesota. The Historic District

The City Beautiful idea of progress was to replace old buildings with grander new buildings (like the Minneapolis Post Office, the Great Northern Railroad Depot (1912-1978) and the Pillsbury Library). The Gateway clearance in downtown Minneapolis tore down the now revered Metropolitan Building in 1961. That raised thoughts of historic preservation (thoughts that didn't include the industrial falls area).

By then on the west bank most of the flour mills had been torn down, with gravel storage on many of the sites. Waterpower use ended 1960. A few mills operated into the 1960s, with the end of milling, at the Washburn A mill about 1965. In 1969 four of the former flour mills remained standing. For all the historic buildings, use became abandonment, warehousing, light industry, or in one case animal rendering. Second St. had railroad tracks.

On the east bank the mighty Pillsbury A mill ended waterpower use 1955, had limited specialty flour milling after 1975, and ended milling in 2003. Three of the four Main Street historic buildings went from commercial to industrial to empty or storage.

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 promoted historic preservation and created the National Register of Historic Places. Minneapolis created the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, and it was added to the NRHP in 1971. The original filing included 21 existing structures. Minneapolis had decided the riverfront and its history was an amenity that could attract people.

In 1980, the Minneapolis Park Board proposed extending the West River Parkway from Plymouth Ave. through the mill district. That triggered a section 106 review. The review found numerous archaeological remains in the mill area, particularly under gravel piles on the river side of the power canal. Remains were also found between the falls and Plymouth Ave.

A great deal of public money has been spent in the Historic District, both on public entities, like the Mill City Museum and Mill Ruins Park, but also (including tax credits) on private redevelopment of historic structures.

A lot was learned about the Historic District, and the NRHP nomination was amended in 1991 with much more narrative on the significance plus over four times the entities. A lot of the additions were the archeological remains and the individual houses on Nicollet Island.

Note that from the falls downstream the river flows substantially to the south east. In this article "south" will mean downstream and "east" is toward the east bank. (In some other sources "east" is downstream.)

Extant

St. Anthony Falls Waterpower Area Use of waterpower at the falls goes back to an 1821 sawmill and an 1823 grist mill, both built by Ft. Snelling. As soon as the area was opened up to white settlement. the land was claimed to get the waterpower rights. The falls was a major saw mill center, then from 1880 to 1930 had the largest flour production in the US. In 1881 the third central station hydroelectric plant in the US was built (for arc lights). Two major hydroelectric plants were built (1894/1911 and 1908) with a third plant (1895) just downstream. One of these plants is still operating. Other industries have also been powered by the falls. Minneapolis developed around these industries. A major part of the District is the remains of these industries (some literally archeological remains). Bridge No. L-8900, crosses S 1st. St., E of 3rd Ave. S. [1891- ][date built - date demolished] Crown Roller Mill/Consolidated "A" mill, 105 5th Ave. S. [1880,1908- ] The Crown Roller Mill had the third highest flour production at the Falls. It was the first large mill that used gradual-reduction roller milling and middlings purifiers. Production ended 1953 and the building was used for warehouse and light industry. A disastrous 1983 fire destroyed the interior, the roof, and part of one wall. A new interior was built in the shell and a mansard roof restored. The renovation substantially restored the appearance and the building is still a contributing resource. The mill and attached boiler house are now an office building. data pages The report documents the mill after the 1983 fire and before the 1987 redevelopment. Falls of St. Anthony Falls of St. Anthony Apron [1866, 1880. 1952- ] Originally a wood timber sloping spillway for the river, the apron protected the falls and stopped the upstream progression and, when originally built, prevented damage from logs that escaped from the then prevalent sawmills. The wood apron was replaced with a concrete one in 1952 and is the very visible spillway. Falls of St. Anthony Dike [1876- ] A concrete wall across the river under he limestone cap to fix the Eastman tunnel disaster. With addenda pdf pg 54 1893 map of St. Anthony Falls; the dike can be seen labeled "government dyke" Falls of St. Anthony Dam (Horseshoe/upper dam) [1858- ] Falls of St. Anthony, East Channel Escarpment Hennepin Island E of access road extension of 3rd Ave SE Location of the waterfall in the east channel (now blocked) of the river around Hennepin Island. It is the only exposed instance of the original falls. Hall and Dann Barrel Company Factory, 111 3rd Ave. S. [1880,1888- ] Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant, central Hennepin Island [1908- ] Humboldt Flour Mill/Washburn "E" Mill, 710-714 S. 2nd S. [1878- ] (now historic part of Humboldt Lofts Condos) Log Sluice, E side of Main Street Station to escarpment [1898- ] Main Street Hydroelectric Station, 206 Main St. SE [1911- ] Martin and Morrison Block,Now part of Saint Anthony Main, a commercial/restaurant complex along Main St. Pracna, which was originally a saloon, led the rediscovery of Main St. 127-129 Main St. SE [1858- ] Minneapolis Eastern Railway Company Engine House, 333 S. 1st St. [1914- ] North Star Woolen Mill, 109 Portland Ave. [1885, 1922, 1925- ] (now North Star Lofts) Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company Elevator A (Ceresota Elevator), 155 5th Ave S. [1908- ] (now Millers Landing Senior Living) Pillsbury "A" Mill Complex,Also independently on the NRHPAlso a National Historic Landmark 301 Main St. SE. [1881- ] The A-mill and four adjacent buildings in the complex were redeveloped into the income limited A-mill Artist Lofts (2015). The Concrete Elevator on 2nd St. SE is also part of the complex. Pillsbury "A" Mill Transformer Building, Hennepin Island W of the substation [1918- ] There does not appear to be a building as described at the location described. Pillsbury Industrial Equipment/Pillsbury Machine Shop, 300 Second St. SE [1916- ] (now an event venue, cocktail lounge 2016) Pillsbury Warehouse #2, 129 Fifth Ave. SE [1919- ] Part of the 2015 redevelopment to the income limited A-mill Artist Lofts Pracna Building, 117 Main St. SE [1890- ] Built in 1890 as a saloon and closed 1919 (prohibition). It was a machine shop when architect Peter Nelson Hall bought it in 1968 when the area was run down, and redlined for mortgages. Nelson lived on the upper floors and in 1973 opened a restaurant and bar, Pracna on Main - the initial revival of the east bank. Salisbury & Satterlee Company Complex, 201–205; 219 Main St. SE [1885, 1892, 1906, 1909- ] St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory, on Hennepin Island [1938- ] St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co. Canal/Pillsbury Canal, from a gate house at 2nd Ave SE and the river then under Main St. to the mid west wall of the Pillsbury A mill. [1881- ] The tunnel (it was never a canal"Data Pages" - Survey, with 4 addenda, includes most of the Mead and Hunt report that extensively documents the tunnel, with pictures, plus additional documentation and history pdf pg 102 - Called a "canal" because of bad associations with "tunnel" after the Eastman tunnel disaster. .) was the headrace for the Pillsbury "A" mill turbines (also the Phoenix mill). As part of the redevelopment of the A-mill complex into income limited A-Mill Artist Lofts a penstock pipe was added to the tunnel to supply a new hydroelectric generator in the downstream turbine pit. Extensive description of the A-mill headrace tunnel before the A-Mill Artist Lofts conversion began, including many pictures. St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co. Tailrace/Chute Tunnel, under Main St. SE, from about 3rd Ave to 5th Ave SE [1864, 1874- ] The St. Anthony Water Power Company planned to build a headrace canal similar to the west bank Power Canal (1858), and a lower tailrace tunnel - both under Main St. SE. The tailrace construction started 1864 near the foot of 5th Ave. SE and went back to Main St. then upstream under Main St. The tunnel hit a previously unknown cave, now called Chute's Cave, and the project was abandoned. Pettigill's Amusement Resort operated on top of the bluff from 1875 until 1880 and offered tourist boat trips into Chute's Cave (tunnel).Work restarted 1874 on a tailrace for the Phoenix Mill at 3rd St SE and Main, then downstream under Main St. to just before the walled-off cave and out to the bluff. The tailrace was used by the Phoenix until it closed in 1956.Chute's Cave ( not a contributing resource) is an oval about 100 ft. by 200 ft. under Main St. It is just downstream from the Pillsbury A Mill tailraces. The cave is in sandstone with a limestone roof. The center of the cave has break-down from when the limestone failed 1880, leaving a large hole in Main St.The cave and tunnels still exist. The cave is accessible, but not easily. The entrance to the original tunnel at the bluff is closed but the tunnel can be accessed from the cave. The tunnel has increasingly deep mud The |Action Squad (urban explorers) visited the cave and tunnel 10-24-00 and 8-18-01 with a picture of the |mud and |entrance from the cave to the tunnel. Both pictures are better if brightness is adjusted away from the cave. The cave and Phoenix tunnel are bat hibernaculumIncludes a map with the cave Standard Flour Mill/Northwestern Consolidated "F" mill, 150 Portland Ave. [1879- ] (Whitney Hotel 1987-2003, now Whitney Lofts 2007) Stone Arch Bridge [1883- ] Upton Block/Union Iron Works, Main St. & 2nd Ave SE [1855- ] (now Aster Cafe) Washburn, Crosby & Company "A" Flour Mill (Washburn "A" Mill Complex), 701 1st St S [1880+- ] The A-mill complex had many buildings, most of which became the Mill City Museum. The complex also includes: - Washburn-Crosby No. 1 Elevator [1908- ] 15 (3x5) large diameter circular elevators on the south east corner of the complex with " Gold Medal Flour" signs on top; the elevators were among the first to use the circular reinforced-concrete form pioneered by Peavey–Haglin (1900) - Utility Building, 700 2nd St S, [1914- ] a completely separate building that housed flour packaging operations plus, at times, Betty Crocker's kitchen and studios for the Washburn- Crosby CO radio station (now Washburn Lofts) - Washburn-Crosby Feed Elevator [1928- ] 15 (3x5) smaller diameter circular elevators north of Elevator No. 1 Washburn-Crosby Company Train Shed, 700 Block of 1st St. S. [1918- ] (now part of the Mill City Museum)

Nicollet Island Residential Area The upstream end of Nicollet Island had historic houses of varying architectural styles, and developed as a predominantly middle and working class neighborhood. Plans for redeveloping Nicollet Island were to demolish the houses for a park. The Minneapolis Housing and Redevelopment agency started buying properties in 1968. Residents wanted the houses to remain. In an epic struggle the residents won in 1983. Adams-Barquist House, 177 Nicollet St.