If you expect lingerie, bubble tea, or a $4 cup of coffee out of the Twin Cities' Best Street, better luck next year. One look at the condos sprouting along Hennepin and Lyndale faster than clusters of dandelions should let you know that those oh-so-cosmo streets don't need the press. We'd rather spend our fleeting summer hours on Summit Avenue, no matter how far it may be from the nearest Urban Outfitters. St. Paul's pastoral jewel connects two of the Twin Cities' most prized panoramas—the Mississippi River and Cathedral Hill, points from which you can view both downtowns at a safe distance. This grassed, treed haven is a god-sent reprieve from our busier avenues, a street of meadowy medians, shade, and the most agonizingly gorgeous architecture in the city. So do your shopping and shouting on Hennepin Avenue. When your wallet and spirit need some R and R, you'll know where to find it.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Best Street - Summit Avenue
The hipsters over at City Pages picked up on what we already know and called Summit Avenue the "Best Street":
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Check Out a Summit House on the MSP Home Tour!
The Minneapolis and Saint Paul Home Tour runs this weekend (April 24 and 25), giving you a free chance to see a really great Summit Avenue renovation!
623 Summit was F. Scott Fitzgerald's maternal grandmother's home. It had been divided into several units, but the current owners have not only restored it to single-family occupancy, but updated it while maintaining a traditional aesthetic. The kitchen has been renovated, and an outdoor eating area added to take advantage of views of the back yard.
See http://www.msphometour.com/ for more information.
623 Summit was F. Scott Fitzgerald's maternal grandmother's home. It had been divided into several units, but the current owners have not only restored it to single-family occupancy, but updated it while maintaining a traditional aesthetic. The kitchen has been renovated, and an outdoor eating area added to take advantage of views of the back yard.
See http://www.msphometour.com/ for more information.
Friday, April 16, 2010
More on Preservation Economics - Heritage Tourism
If you've ever looked at the tour busses driving down Summit and thought "Do they really want to see houses like mine? Can there possibly be any money in that?' — the answers are YES they do, and YES, there is.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, cultural heritage tourism is defined as “traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” At a time when the travel industry is struggling, cultural heritage tourism is actually growing, as people seek more value for their travel dollar.
Heritage tourism is important because it is exceptionally effective. Tourism is big business, directly contributing over $750 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Of these tourists, 81% classified themselves as cultural heritage travelers. Visitors to historic sites and cultural attractions typically stay significantly longer and spend more than other tourists — $994 per trip average in 2009, compared to $457 for the standard tourist. It is also a growing field, up more than 10% annually even during recent economic circumstances. The most important effect, however, is that this kind of travel is unique to a community’s specific circumstances, organically building upon its diversity and focusing on its unique sense of place.
According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, cultural heritage tourism is defined as “traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.” At a time when the travel industry is struggling, cultural heritage tourism is actually growing, as people seek more value for their travel dollar.
Heritage tourism is important because it is exceptionally effective. Tourism is big business, directly contributing over $750 billion to the U.S. economy annually. Of these tourists, 81% classified themselves as cultural heritage travelers. Visitors to historic sites and cultural attractions typically stay significantly longer and spend more than other tourists — $994 per trip average in 2009, compared to $457 for the standard tourist. It is also a growing field, up more than 10% annually even during recent economic circumstances. The most important effect, however, is that this kind of travel is unique to a community’s specific circumstances, organically building upon its diversity and focusing on its unique sense of place.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
April Fools
Spotted this when out for a walk on April 1st...
It was a glorious 80 degrees, and it seemed like all of St Paul was out strolling along the Avenue. The 'hidden garden' on the North side of street between Kent and MacKubin had a strange new sign on its gate:
The sign disappeared a few days later, but I will admit that SARPAexpress was contacted by more than person who was worried it might be true... :0
It was a glorious 80 degrees, and it seemed like all of St Paul was out strolling along the Avenue. The 'hidden garden' on the North side of street between Kent and MacKubin had a strange new sign on its gate:
The sign disappeared a few days later, but I will admit that SARPAexpress was contacted by more than person who was worried it might be true... :0
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Historic State Tax Credit Signed into Law!
This week the state legislature passed, and today Governor Pawlenty signed into law, a new state historic tax credit. After years of work by preservation groups, community advocates, and others, Minnesota has become the 31st state in the nation with such a provision.
The bill is exciting on a number of levels. For individual property owners, it offers a significant tax credit for renovation and rehabilitation. Piggybacking on the federal tax credit, it allows a state income tax credit of 20% when rehabbing a qualified property. The property must be on the National Register of Historic Places (so all properties in the Summit Avenue West Historic District would potentially qualify), and must be income-producing (homesteaded residential properties are not eligible). In an innovative new approach, non-profits such as churches can take advantage of the credit, which they can choose to receive as a grant or against the insurance premium tax.
However, perhaps the deeper impact of the bill is that it is included in the Minnesota Jobs Stimulus Bill, directly recognizing the significant economic impact of preservation. Rehabilitation work employs more people, in better-paying jobs, than either manufacturing or new construction. Other states have seen this impact; in Rhode Island, a recent credit has created 5,334 direct construction jobs in just two years, and in Missouri, the cost of the tax credit has been recouped in payroll taxes alone. If Minnesota follows national models, preservation-related projects would create more jobs than other similarly-sized "shovel ready" projects, including road construction, manufacturing, or new construction.
If projects further leverage their resources, by using green construction techniques, or by purchasing materials at local independent establishments that keep the money in the community, the economic impact increases proportionally. The tax credit is poised to have an important effect not just on Summit Avenue and in Saint Paul, but all over Minnesota.
The bill is exciting on a number of levels. For individual property owners, it offers a significant tax credit for renovation and rehabilitation. Piggybacking on the federal tax credit, it allows a state income tax credit of 20% when rehabbing a qualified property. The property must be on the National Register of Historic Places (so all properties in the Summit Avenue West Historic District would potentially qualify), and must be income-producing (homesteaded residential properties are not eligible). In an innovative new approach, non-profits such as churches can take advantage of the credit, which they can choose to receive as a grant or against the insurance premium tax.
However, perhaps the deeper impact of the bill is that it is included in the Minnesota Jobs Stimulus Bill, directly recognizing the significant economic impact of preservation. Rehabilitation work employs more people, in better-paying jobs, than either manufacturing or new construction. Other states have seen this impact; in Rhode Island, a recent credit has created 5,334 direct construction jobs in just two years, and in Missouri, the cost of the tax credit has been recouped in payroll taxes alone. If Minnesota follows national models, preservation-related projects would create more jobs than other similarly-sized "shovel ready" projects, including road construction, manufacturing, or new construction.
If projects further leverage their resources, by using green construction techniques, or by purchasing materials at local independent establishments that keep the money in the community, the economic impact increases proportionally. The tax credit is poised to have an important effect not just on Summit Avenue and in Saint Paul, but all over Minnesota.
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