Prairie Skyline Foundation

Do you ever wonder what buildings were in the space that the empty SuperValue and its parking lot now stands?  Found!  A picture of the first brick building of the Church of Christ was on the Main Street side where the parking lot is now.  Now, I wonder what was on the Broadway side?  Surely we must do something about this vacant building.  The picture doesn't show the peeling paint, garbage, and unkempt shrubbery.  Who owns this building?  I remember that the City had some interest in it.Got any good ideas? web counter

Here it is, the condensed 2 page version of the "Young at HArt Center."  I know people are busier today than ever, so here is your shortcut to something new and exciting for Crookston, MN! Young at HArt center exec summary.doc View more documents from Prairie Skyline Foundation, Inc. web counter

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How the Movie "Cars" is about Preservation and Restoration by Wood Window Makeover.com on Friday, November 26, 2010 at 9:01pm Sometimes inspiration comes when you aren't looking. My Mom and Grandmother were here from Texas for Thanksgiving Day and once the festivities ended we put on a movie - The Disney/Pixar now classic Cars. My mom had never seen it, my boys love it and I just think it contains a great message.    So this time as I watched it for probably the 100th time - I saw something new. If you've seen it you know the theme.  A hot shot race car named Lightning McQueen gets lost on his way to the other side of the country and finds new friends that change his perspective and give him a new take on life - a better take. He starts off self absorbed but discovers that relationships mean more than winning a race. Another theme though is the restoration and preservation of what is lost through progress. Lightning finds his way to an almost for...

Architecture and Music - It's Personal from Confessions of a Preservationist by landmarkblog@gmail.com (The Landmark Society of Western New York) Architecture is Frozen Music... Perhaps you've heard about that quote, from late 18th century writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Goethe elaborated, by suggesting that architecture produces the same "tone" or effect in your mind as music. But what about the reverse? If architecture is frozen music, does that mean music is liquid architecture? Are there connections between architecture and music - or more specifically, historic preservation? Folks at The National Trust for Historic Preservation have given this some thought. Their forum list discussion resulted in contributors building a playlist of songs that refer to the designed environment. Called "Songs of the Preservationist," it's a fun read, and amazingly varied - everything from traditional songs (Little Old Sod Shanty on the claim o...

Now we will never know if the Wayne/Palace Hotel's supporting walls were structurally sound.  In the above floor plan of the fourth floor, areas shown in red are the wooden structures that let light in to all three floors.  These are not made like the exterior walls  that are six bricks thick. Now we will never know if some falling brick on the south side meant do some masonry repair, or loss of structural integrity. Now we will never know if Metro Plains would have been successful if they had tried a third time with the new state historic tax credits and/or different funding sources. Why?   Because Polk County turned down an offer of a free structural assessment from a structural engineer from the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. When we drive by on US Highways 2 and 75 and look at that ugly corner, let's remember: What if the County had replace the roof and cleaned out the building, and put up a for sale sign 10 years ago? What if the County had...

The Prairie Skyline Foundation and Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (PAM) were disappointed to learn last Thursday that Judge Michael Kraker denied their request for a temporary injunction to halt demolition of the historic Palace/Wayne Hotel in Crookston. Prairie Skyline and PAM had filed suit against the City of Crookston, Polk County, and the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board (EQB) as a last-ditch effort to save the endangered building, which anchors Crookston’s commercial historic district. The building is a contributing structure to a designated historic district; under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, an Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) is mandatory for such properties before they can be demolished in whole or in part. In June, the City and County requested and received an “emergency waiver” from the EQB, allowing them to avoid the preparation of an EAW. An EAW would have required public consideration of alternatives to demolition. In his decision, Jud...

A person walks pass some of the murals painted at a closed building along Dexter Avenue in downtown Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, Oct. 1, 2010. (Montgomery Advertiser, Lloyd Gallman) Downtown revitalization must include historic preservation, expert says By Jill Nolin • October 11, 2010 age Downtown revitalization was once talked about because it wasn't happen­ing. Now, it's being talked about because it's actually taking hold in Montgomery. Montgomery's success, to date, in re­vitalizing its downtown is a major focus of the annual Alabama Preservation Conference that started Thursday and ended Saturday. Some of the sessions have offered analysis and commentary on what steps led up to the rebirth that sparked on the riverfront and is starting to push into the rest of the downtown area. "I tell you, you are doing the right things in Montgomery, Alabama. It's not there yet, but it's never there," said Don­ovan Rypkema, who is an inte...

Letter to polk county View more documents from CrookstonKate .

Response to august 26 city letter View more documents from CrookstonKate . free hit counters  

08 28-10 letter to kay hegge.docx View more documents from CrookstonKate .

Here is the letter we wrote to the City Council regarding saving the Wayne Letter to board members and city council members letter View more documents from CrookstonKate . free hit counters

1904 113 C.L. Bang Candy Manu 115 Edward Wood & Co. 117 Palace Hotel Saloon 117 & ½ Nat Campbell & Moeckel; Carpenter & Stenvick, Crookston Club, Hayes, R.M. Kirsch, M.D., McKinnon, Daniel, Rowe, W.D., Rowe, W.E., U.S. Land Office 119 Farley, Z.J. 121 Basset, Miss L.M. 123 Carpenter, Huggard & M 1908 117 & ½ U.S. Land Co., Clough & Caldwel, A.C. Clausen, Crookston Club, Daniel McKinnon, W.E. Rowe, Lee Sisters, Ernest Moeckel 119 Farley 121 J.E. Carpenter Land Co., City Realty Co. 123 F.B. Harris 1911 113 Miss Florence Huey 117 & ½ Palace Hotel 123 N.H. Yeo 1915 113 Mrs. M. B. Pierce 115 Carpenter Land Co. 119 Palace Hotel 123 N.H.Yeo 1930 113 Munn’s Music & Jewelry 115 Rosemary Hat & Hosiery 117 Palace Cafe 123 Regan’s Candy Shop 1935 113 Munn’s Music & Jewelry 115 Crookston Production Credit 117 The Dutch Room 120 & ½ Wayne Hotel 121 Northwestern Bell 123 Christines Beauty Service 1940 113 Chas. A. Mun...

Don't forget to show up!  Tonight, August 23, 2010 at 7 pm in City Hall is our last chance to save the Wayne/Palace Hotel.  We will be presenting three new ideas for the historic landmark plus the stabilization costs and a new downtown task force that will cross the arts with the politicians!  Be There!  The alley in winter without the Wayne Hotel, everyone traveling US 2 and US75 will see this!

A gentle reminder,tomorrow, Monday, the 23rd, 7 pm sharp, we are storming City Hall.  We only have 15 minutes, so be there on time.  You will hear not one, but three new ideas for the Wayne. This is more than the Wayne Hotel!  It's about taking back citizen control of our downtown and community. You don't have to say anything, just show up for 15"! The sneak peak at the speech is on "Friends of the Wayne/Palace Hotel" facebook page!

These Costs are Submitted by Brian J. Carlson, JLG Architects, Grand Forks, ND free web counter

Nothing but tons of prayers will save the Wayne/Palace Hotel from short-sighted "leaders."  At this time, we are preparing a proposal to the Polk County Board because we too were waiting for good news from Metro Plains Development. 

This is the original home of Felix Fournet, who built the outstanding Fournet Block (Four Seasons Clothing, Munn's Jewelry, etc.  He was a builder of the highest quality and he built his home on Houston Avenue.  I've been inside when it was owned by Dr. and Mrs. Mitchell and the woodwork has remained untouched and is beyond belief stunning. 

Care and Share got the former cathedral church when they purchased the former rectory and adjacent land. The plans were to expand the Care and Share Homeless Shelter and they did that. They never wanted the former Cathedral, but it was part of the package. Minnesota Housing Finance Agency funded part of the project, said Jan Delage. Sister Justina was in charge of the Care and Share Board at that time. People constantly approached Care and Share about the cathedral. People were very interested in its future. Of course, the non-profit homeless shelter did not have funding to tear it down (estimated at that time $35,000) nor did they have a use for the building. The board was concerned about preserving the stained glass. There were problems with the high school kids smoking and lounging behind the church. Stones were thrown and some of the storm window glass was broken. In an effort to preserve the glass, Care and Share gave the ventilator windows with family names on them to ...

You just never know when history comes alive!  I was delighted to meet the Rigg's family as they toured historic Crookston searching for sites their great grandfather, G. Oliver Riggs, the City Bandmaster before T.W. Thorson took over, may have performed in.  Be sure to check out their great blog at http://bit.ly/9mNco2. It is full of pictures and information and SONGS played by G. Oliver Riggs.  Watch this blog for song lyrics sung at the old Winter Shows Building, the former Crookston Armory.  Who knows, perhaps G. Oliver performed on that stage as well. Former owner, Arnold Lahd, removed the eagle emblem from the stage for safekeeping.  Did you know the original Winter Shows consisted of three buildings?  Yes, the former Crookston Armory is just one, the current Crookston School Bus garages are the others.   Anyone who knows more about the great Winter Shows and our former great Crookston band master, G. Oliver Rigss, please comment! fr...