Uptown, Minneapolis

Infobox settlement
official_name = Uptown
other_name =
"The Uptown District of Minneapolis
Calhoun Isles, Lowry Hill"
nickname =
settlement_type = District
motto = "Normally out of the ordinary" [ [http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/July-2008/2008-Uptown-Art-Fair/Uptown-Normally-Out-of-the-Ordinary/ MN Monthly Review of Uptown] ]


imagesize = 300px
image_caption = Calhoun Square is the center of the District since the 1980s
image_blank_emblem =




mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Uptown is within the Calhoun Isles community of the U.S. city of Minneapolis
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1= State
subdivision_type2= County
subdivision_type3= City
subdivision_type4= Community
subdivision_name= United States
subdivision_name1= Minnesota
subdivision_name2= Hennepin
subdivision_name3= Minneapolis
subdivision_name4= Calhoun Isles
seat_type = City Council Ward
seat = 10
leader_title = Councilmember
leader_name = Ralph Remington
established_title= Branded
established_date= 1920s
founder = Uptown Business Association
named_for = Uptown Theater
area_magnitude =
area_total =
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area_land =
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area_water =
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area_urban =
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area_metro =
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population_as_of = 2007
population_total = 21800
population_density_sq_mi =
population_metro = 2367204
population_density_metro_km2 =
population_density_metro_sq_mi =
population_urban = 387970
population_density_urban_km2 =
population_density_urban_sq_mi =
population_footnotes= [This is an estimated population based on the proportion of 2000 Census data and 2006 Census Estimates. It is meant to be representative and not an official number. The Uptown block groups were approximately defined as: Lincoln Ave (north), Lakewood Cemetery (south), Lyndale Avenue (east), BNSF Railway (west)] cite web| title=Twin Cities Region Population and Household Estimates, 2006| url=http://www.metrocouncil.org/metroarea/2006PopulationEstimates.pdf | format=PDF | date=2006-04-01 | publisher=Metropolitan Council | accessdate= 2007-07-24] cite web |title=Table 2: Population Estimates for the 100 Most Populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas Based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/cb07-51tbl2.pdf | format = PDF | date = 2007-04-05 |accessdate=2007-04-16]
timezone= CST
utc_offset= -6
timezone_DST= CDT
utc_offset_DST= -5
latd= 44
latm= 56
lats= 56
latNS= N
longd= 93
longm= 17
longs= 55
longEW= W
elevation_m= 268
elevation_ft= 879
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code =
area_code = 612
website = http://www.uptownminneapolis.com/
footnotes =

Uptown is a popular commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota, centered at the Uptown Theater (the former Lagoon) at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, ECCO, CARAG and East Isles neighborhoods, within the Calhoun Isles community. [cite book|title=Uptown Minneapolis|author=Thatcher Imboden and Cedar Imboden Phillips|publisher=www.arcadiapublishing.com|ISBN=0-7385-3358-0|date=2004] According to the Uptown Association, a group of business owners and landlords, the boundaries of Uptown are Lake Calhoun to the west, Dupont Avenue to the east, 31st Street to the south, and 28th Street to the north.

Uptown is known for shopping, food, entertainment and leisure. In the 1980s the district was anchored by Calhoun Square, an enclosed shopping mall redeveloped from existing buildings. It is also one of few areas outside Downtown Minneapolis and area malls with national retailers establishing urban storefronts such as Victoria's Secret (former Gap), American Apparel (former American Eagle), and The North Face. [cite web|url=http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2007/06/25/daily32.html|title=Victoria's Secret tapped for Uptown Gap space|date=June 28 2007|publisher=Mpls St Paul Business Journal|author=John Vomhof Jr.] [cite web|url=http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2006/03/13/story8.html|date=March 10, 2006|title=North Face gears up for first MN store -- in Uptown by Calhoun Square|publisher=Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal|author= Ellen P. Gabler] Uptown is popular for its many local American and multi-ethnic restaurants as well as bar night clubs. During the day, Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles have heavy recreation use including beaches, fishing docks, and canoe rentals.

The pedestrian atmosphere and specialty boutique stores and services have made Uptown attractive to younger adults locally and regionally to live and play. As such area businesses are sometimes considered hip and trendy. [cite web|url=http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/July-2008/2008-Uptown-Art-Fair/Uptown-Normally-Out-of-the-Ordinary/|title=Uptown: Normally Out of the Ordinary|publisher=Minnesota Monthly|date=July 2008]

History

The Lakes Area of Lake Calhoun. Lake Harriet, and Lake of the Isles became popular in the 1880s as vacation cottages, hotels, and boating recreation became available by streetcar. As Minneapolis expanded south, housing construction boomed through the 1920s. A commercial district began forming just east of the Lakes Area. At the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue, the Lagoon Theatre was built, a multi-function vaudeville theatre. When the Lagoon burnt down in the 1920s, owners sought to rebuild and the business community took the opportunity to rebrand the area. [http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/Minneapolis/UptownTheatre.htm] Following the success of Chicago's Uptown District, the Minneapolis Tribune announced the new Uptown District of Minneapolis centered on the newly renamed Uptown Theatre.

Through the 20th century, Uptown was primarily a family area centered on nearby West High School at Hennepin and 28th Street West. Modest housing along Lowry Hill met the mansions of Kenwood to the west and around the lakes. Hennepin Avenue flourished as a commercial corridor and important streetcar route from downtown toward the vacation homes of Lake Minnetonka. White flight via the freeway system after World War II and demolition of West High School signaled a demographic shift in the area. Blight and crime began moving into Lowry Hill though were kept at bay by the Kenwood area. Neighborhood associations and formal borders were designated in the 1970s as each section of Uptown began addressing domestic problems.

During this time, Uptown developed an artist culture. The history of this culture is preserved in the annual Uptown Art Fair. In 1980, Minneapolis musician Prince, a graduate of Central High School, released his seminal recording "Dirty Mind", which contained his paean to these artists, appropriately titled "Uptown". In the 1990s he later owned a store at 1408 West Lake Street called New Power Generation. A retail renaissance of the area occurred in the 1980s when Calhoun Square was developed. Combining a half block of existing storefront buildings, the renovation turned the area into a competitive retail draw from Downtown and from the suburban dales (malls). As the popularity of Uptown as a residential district grew again, the definition of the area expanded.

Culture

Uptown is a mix of various cultural strains and is considered a trendy area for young people to live and shop, a vibrant center for artists and musicians, a welcoming community for LGBT individuals, and a highly desirable address for young professionals. Many homeless individuals spend their day and much of the evening there, but do not spend the night there for lack of quiet sheltered areas. Much more numerous are the young professionals from throughout the Twin Cities who come at night, especially on the weekends, to visit local restaurants and bars.

Uptown Art Fair

Uptown annually hosts the Uptown Art Fair, during the first full weekend of August. Local, national, and world artists converge to exhibit and sell their fine art. Art media include paintings, sculptures, clothing, pottery, jewelry, glass, and mixed media. Art cost ranges from $6 (USD), for prints, and up into the hundreds or thousands of USD for paintings. The Art Fair SourceBook has rated the Uptown Art Fair highly in past years for fine art festivals.

Infrastructure

Housing in Uptown has seen a recent surge in gentrification. This has caused an increase in property value and in property taxes. [ [http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/09/30_scheckt_condoconversions/ MPR: Minneapolis losing affordable housing to condo conversions ] ] Due to recent gentrification, some artists now see Northeast, Minneapolis as the city's new Uptown equivalent, as a place with cheaper rents for artists. [ [http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200212/06_robertsc_artsplan/ MPR: Getting a handle on gentrification in Nordeast ] ]

Business and Public Buildings

Businesses in Uptown include many restaurants, bars (such as the Uptown Bar and Cafe), book stores, music stores, cafés, clothing stores, furniture and housewares stores, two indie movie theaters, an improv comedy theater, and several specialty stores. The Walker Library is underground beneath a small park located at Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. It is denoted by large metal letters: "L-I-B-R-A-R-Y".

The Uptown Transit Station is located on Hennepin Avenue over the 29th Street Greenway and serves Metro Transit buses 6, 12, 17, 21, 23, 53, 114, 115, 681. The station also has a change machine, a heated interior, binoculars, bike lockers and posts, and a workers lounge and office area. The Midtown Greenway, a former railway cutting which now hosts a bike path, bisects Uptown roughly a block north of Lake Street (where 29th Street would otherwise have been located).

References

External links

* [http://www.uptownminneapolis.com/ Uptown Association]
* [http://www.uptownminneapolis.com/art-fair/ Uptown Art Fair]
* [http://www.legeros.com/fof/uptown.shtml "Uptown Minneapolis", a book by Thatcher Imboden and Cedar Imboden Phillips]
* [http://uptownmpls.blogspot.com/ Uptown Photo Blog]