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Ryan Hotel at 6th & Robert, Demolished in 1962 |
The
Ryan Hotel (left), Downtown Saint Paul was originally located at Robert
Street North and 6th Street. Built in 1882, the hotel was
demolished in 1962 (remember the song "they paved paradise and put up a
parking lot"). A parking lot replaced the hotel until the
Minnesota Mutual Life home office was built on the site in 1981.
Currently, the Minnesota Historical Society is active in saving the
history of Saint Paul and Minnesota. Unfortunately, they couldn't
save this great hotel. |
Robert Street Looking South
from just north of 7th St
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Another image
(above right) featuring Robert Street is this interesting postcard view
looking south from 7th Street towards the Robert Street bridge and the
Mississippi River. If you look carefully, you can see the famous
Emporium Department store on the left. Further down the street,
close inspection of this postcard shows a small sign for the Ryan Hotel
which sat next to the Emporium. |
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Eliminated from Saint Paul in the late 1950's, the famous Trolley Car.
The image (below) of a trolley coming through the Selby Tunnel.
The tunnel was built so the trolley cars could make it up the hill from
Downtown. The tunnel landed the trolley car in front of the
Cathedral of Saint Paul. You can still see remnants of the trolley
tracks and tunnel today. |
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Trolley Car Coming Through the
Selby Tunnel
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The famous trolley cars of most American cities were eliminated and
eventually destroyed as the automobile from Detroit became the popular
means of transportation. Trolley systems remain in very few cities
today, but in no way provide the 'mass transit' they were once famous
for.
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| I
understand from a local postcard collector and historian that this image
was 'created' for the postcard and was not a possible view. If you
look at the image of Robert Street above, you will notice that the
Emporium was located among many buildings on Robert Street and did not
encompass this massive open space as this image indicates. |
The Emporium Department Store.
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| The
Hotel Lowry (below) was located at 4th & Wabasha Streets in Downtown Saint Paul. This image is
from a postcard dated August 3, 1937. The postcard describes the hotel as the
largest in St. Paul and "absolutely fireproof". "Every room has
private bath and circulating ice water." Rates in 1937 were $2 to $4 per day. |
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The
Hotel Lowry
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| An image near my old home on Hyacinth Avenue by Lake Phalen. This is from a postcard (no postmark) describing the "Home for Crippled
Children on Phalen Park". This would become the Gillette's Children Hospital.
Only one of the buildings was saved and is currently used by the Humanities Commission of
Minnesota. |
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See More St. Paul Minnesota Images Here
"YesterYear"
Minneapolis:
Here you will find several images
of Minneapolis, Minnesota Past. Click on an item to view the image described...the
image will open in a new window for viewing. After viewing, click the 'X' in the
upper right hand corner to close the image.
1920's
Postcard - Art Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota; published by H. A. Olson Specialty Co.,
St. Paul, Minnesota.
1920's
Postcard - Calhoun Boulevard, Minneapolis, Minnesota; published by Board of Park
Commissioners.
Early
1900's Postcard - New Millard Hall, University of Minnesota; photo by C. J. Hibbard &
Co.; As printed on the postcard - "...arrived at 1:00 this morning ... very beautiful
place so far..."
All images are from my personal
collection of postcards.
Postcard Copyrights Maintained by
Original Photographer or Publisher
Last Updated, October 2006
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