Home > Minnesota > Minneapolis > Washburn-Crosby Milling Complex, Garage, 525 First Street South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN
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Item Title
Washburn-Crosby Milling Complex, Garage, 525 First Street South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN
Location525 First Street South,
Minneapolis, MN
Find maps of Minneapolis, MN
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1933.
Notes
Survey number HABS MN-69-K
Building/structure dates:
1915 initial construction
Significance: Situated near the southwest corner of Portland Avenue and South First Street in Minneapolis, the building borders the Mississippi River in a four-block, waterfront zone commonly known as the "West Side Milling District." When Minneapolis was founded in the mid-1850s, this area was expressly reserved for milling purposes, drawing waterpower from the Falls of St. Anthony by means of a canal along South First Street. Despite its advantageous location, the building's site was never used for milling. In 1915, when the building was constructed, the site was one of the few, small parcels of vacant land remaining in the district. From the outset, the building was designed and used as a parking garage by the Washburn Crosby Company (later renamed General Mills), the largest flour milling interest on the West Side. The building continued in its original ownership and use until 1985, when it was purchased by Hayber Development Group of Minneapolis. Lacking in architectural interest, the building has played only a minor and tangential role in the history of the West Side Milling District.
Subjects
Building DeteriorationFlour & Meal IndustryGarages
Related Names
Hightower, Barbara, Field Team
Hess, Jeffrey A., Historian
Collection
Historic American Buildings Survey (Library of Congress)
Contents
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