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MOST CITIES OF COLORFUL
PARTS TO THEIR HISTORY.
MINNEAPOLIS IS NO EXCEPTION,
THE KING OF SKIDROW, IN THE
TWILIGHT YEARS OF OLD
MINNEAPOLIS, THE OWNER OF THE
BAR AND LIQUOR STORE AND THE
CAGE HOTEL AND A GRITTY
NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE IT WAS
SWEPT AWAY BY AN URBAN RENEWAL
PROJECT IN 1960S.
URBAN RENEWAL IS WHAT WE CALL
DESTROYING BUILDINGS I THINK,
AUTHOR JAMES ELI SCHIFFER JOINS
US.
THANK YOU FOR COMING IN.
SPIRIT THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME. LET'S TALK ABOUT WHERE WE
ARE. THIS IS THE OLDEST PART
OF DOWNTOWN WERE MINNEAPOLIS
STARTED, HENNEPIN, ISN'T IT
THERE AND TODAY WOULD NOT KNOW
IT.
THAT IS HOW I GOT INTERESTED IN
IT, IT LOOKS LIKE NOWHERE YOU
TALK ABOUT THESE NEW HOTELS IN
THE VACANT LOT WAS THE CENTER
OF HOTEL OR CENTERTOWN. HOW
DID YOU GET INVOLVED? I LOVE
CITIES AND I AM FASCINATED WITH
THEM, I MOVED HERE, I AM NOT
FROM HERE BUT I MARRIED A
MINNEAPOLIS WOMAN.
AND SO I MOVED HERE AND I'M
LIKE WALKING AROUND DOWNTOWN
AND I THOUGHT THERE MUST'VE
BEEN SOMETHING HERE BEFORE
BECAUSE THIS IS THE CENTER OF
TOWN.
A FRIEND OF MINE LENT ME A VHS
TAPE OF THE DOCUMENTARY THAT
HAD HOME MOVIES FROM JOHN
BOSTITCH THE HIT MADE AND IT
WAS FASCINATING ABOUT THIS AREA
AND THIS IS LIKE WHAT IT LOOKED
LIKE IT WAS A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT.
THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO.
INTEGRATE HISTORICAL STORY HAS
TO BE ANCHORED WITH A GREAT
CHARACTER AND YOUR GUY IS
JOHNNY REX.
WHAT WAS HE LIKE AND HOW DID HE
BECOME THE KING OF SKIDROW? A
LOT OF GUYS COME TO SKIDROW AND
THAT IS THE END, RIGHT?
THAT HE CAME TO OPEN A
BUSINESS, A LIQUOR STORE, BAR,
FLOPHOUSE.
THIS DOCUMENTARY IMPULSE WHICH
WAS AMAZING, HE TOOK PICTURES
OF EVERY GUY THAT LIVES IN HIS
HOTEL, HE TOOK HOME MOVIES THAT
WERE SILENT. WHAT YEAR? MID-
TO-LATE 1950s.
HE WAS THE MAN.
THEY LIVED IN THIS FLOPHOUSE,
THEY BOUGHT LIQUOR IT IS LIQUOR
STORE AND HE THOUGHT OF THEM AS
HIS FAMILY AND A LOT OF WAYS
AND HE REALLY A LOT OF WAYS
PRESERVED THAT COMMUNITY AT
LEAST THROUGH THESE PHOTOS AND
MOVIES AND HIS STORIES WHICH
ARE REMARKABLE. WOMEN SHOULD
URBAN RENEWAL A MINUTE AGO THAT
IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE
AREA LIKE WE SAID JUST NOW IT
IS PRETTY MUCH JUST PARKING
LOTS. THERE WERE SOME THINGS
THAT WERE CONSIDERED SUPER
BEAUTIFUL IN THE 1960S LIKE THE
INSURANCE BUILDING AN OFFICE
BUILDING IN THE TOWERS
CONDOMINIUMS.
THE TOWERS APARTMENTS. WHICH
ARE FAR FROM BEAUTIFUL. [
LAUGHTER ]
I DO NOT REALLY KNOW.
BUT YOU KNOW, AMERICAN CITIZEN
IN 1950s WERE REALLY STRUGGLING
AND THEY LOOKED AT A PLACE LIKE
SKIDROW, THE OLD, CRUMBLING
BUILDINGS THAT RATS THAT RAN
BETWEEN THEM, AND THEY WERE
LIKE LET'S GET RID OF IT AND
START OVER AND IT WILL BE
BEAUTIFUL WE WILL HAVE THIS
SUBURBAN LANDSCAPE.
IN A TODAY, WHAT IF THE
BUILDINGS OF BEEN PRESERVED?
THE CITY WOULD HAVE A VERY
DIFFERENT FEEL TO IT. NO DOUBT.
LISTEN TO THINK ABOUT.
HAVE A BOOK LAUNCH AND BIG
PARTY OVER AT MILL CITY MUSEUM
AROUND 7 PM WHICH IS A GREAT
EXAMPLE OF THE PIECE OF OUR
HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN
PRESERVED. EXACTLY, I THINK
MINNEAPOLIS IS MUCH MORE
SENSITIVE TO ITS HISTORY.
WITH THE SKIDROW HOME
MOVIES.
SPIRIT YES AN EXHIBIT OF HIS
PHOTOS AND THE CITY OF
MINNEAPOLIS DOCUMENTED THE
NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL WHICH WILL
BE ON AFTER TONIGHT. HAVE ALL