PAM-o-rama Tours! Tickets on-sale now!
Announcing the PAM-o-rama Tours!
A series of summer history tours offered by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
Finally! It’s summer! The warmer weather is an excellent chance to get out and explore the community in which you live, work, and play. This year, the Preservation Alliance is making it easy to explore the history of your community. We are offering a series of tours aimed at exploring and experiencing Minnesota history like you’ve never done before - we call them the PAM-o-rama Tours. Join us for one, several, or all six of our tours, beginning in June and ending in October.
Each tour will highlight a different story of our shared history. We begin with a bike tour of Minneapolis, progress to an exploratory day at the Gibbs Farm, take to the water for a canoe trip down the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, and then head to Owatonna for a tour of the sights. Finally, we end the summer with a day at Fort Snelling’s Upper Post, named in 2006 as one of the nation’s 11 Most Endangered Properties, and a tour of St. Paul’s Fantasy Houses of the 1920’s.
Each tour has a limited capacity, so sign up early to guarantee your spot. All tours are $15.00 per person, with the exception of the Owatonna tour, which is $22.00 per person. See the information below for the specifics of each tour, and watch the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota’s website, www.mnpreservation.org for more information.
To reserve your place on a PAM-o-rama tour, call the Alliance at 651.293.9047. Reservations can be paid by credit card, cash or check and must be paid in full to reserve your place. Give us a call today!
PAM-o-rama #1 - You Can Bike on It!
See Minneapolis from the comfort of your own bike
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tour time: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Tour capacity: 25 people
Meeting location: In front of Freewheel Bike Center, 2834 10th Avenue South, on the Midtown Greenway (below street level) behind the Midtown Exchange.
Parking: Parking is available at the Midtown Exchange parking ramps, or ride your bike!
This tour will take participants on a bicycle ride through east Minneapolis, with an emphasis on the Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods. Focus will be on historic preservation success stories, such as the Midtown Exchange (formerly the Sears Warehouse), the Midtown Greenway (a National Register listed historic district), the Milwaukee Avenue Historic District and more!
Note: Tour participants must provide their own bike and bike helmet, and must sign a liability waiver prior to the start of the tour.
The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota would like to thank the following Contributor Sponsor for making the “You Can Bike on It!” PAM-o-rama Tour possible:
PAM-o-rama #2 - The Ties that Bind
Learn of shared lifeways and cultural connections at the Gibbs Farm
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tour start time: Tentatively scheduled for 9:00 am, breakfast included
Tour capacity: 30 people
Meeting Location: Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life, 2097 West Larpenteur Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55113
Parking: There is a free parking lot at the Gibbs Farm
The Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life is itself a leader and pioneer amongst historic sites for its inclusive storytelling about the relationship between the indigenous Dakotah and the settlers who came to what we now call Minnesota. The museum interprets Minnesota history from 1835 to 1862, a period of struggle and resettlement amongst the many cultures who now call Minnesota home, through artifacts, structures, and interpretive storytelling. On this tour, you will hear this fascinating history of what we all call home and how local Dakotah people guided the preservation and presentation of these sites, and the interpretation of material culture.
PAM-o-rama #3 - Paddle Through the Past
Discover archaeology while canoeing down the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Tour start time: Two tours, the first beginning at 10:00 am and the second at 1:30 pm
Tour capacity: 18 per tour
Meeting Location: We’ll be meeting at Picnic Island under the Mendota Bridge
Parking: Parking is $5 at the state park
We will explore the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, circumnavigating Pike Island. We will see Fort Snelling and part of its National Historic Landmark District from below. We will also see that the hydrology of the confluence was changed by mid-twentieth century engineering projects, and that expansion of the floodplain forest has altered the area’s appearance from its historic condition, when the fort was first occupied in the early- to mid-nineteenth century. We will see that transportation remains an overarching theme here. River travel and commerce are still important, but overshadowed by busy highway bridges and airplane traffic. Finally, we will see flourishing ecology and wildlife in the heart of a major metropolitan area. We will experience the deep history of this place through archaeology, primarily as it is reflected in the landscape.
Note: This tour primarily takes place on the water - please wear appropriate clothing. Paddlers of all abilities are welcome. Tour participants will be required to sign a liability waiver prior to participating in the tour.
PAM-o-rama #4 - Jewel of the Prairie
Explore historic Owatonna by bus and foot
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Tour start time: 10:00 am
Tour capacity: 50 people
Tour cost: $22.00 per person
The Owatonna National Farmer’s Bank, a National Historic Landmark designed by Chicago architect Louis Sullivan, is world renowned as a prime example of Prairie School architecture. This tour will take you inside this stunning architectural landmark as the centerpiece for the historic community of Owatonna. Learn about one of the best-preserved historic downtowns in the state and how the community utilizes the Main Street program to promote an attractive and successful business district. See other prized Prairie School landmarks like two Purcell & Elmslie designed homes, a home based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design, and the Federated Mutual Insurance building. If time permits, visit the historic Minnesota State School Orphanage that housed over 10,000 children and is now a thriving arts campus and museum. This tour will be on foot and by bus and will allow you free time in downtown Owatonna to enjoy local eateries and one-of-a-kind boutique stores to shop local.
Note: All tour participants will need to provide their own transportation to Owatonna. Portions of this tour will be a walking tour, please wear appropriate footwear. Lunch is the responsibility of tour participants and a list of local restaurants will be provided.
PAM-o-rama #5 - See the Most at the Upper Post
Tour Fort Snelling’s Upper Post
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Tour start time: 10:00 am (additional tours may be added based on demand)
This is a rare “behind the fence” tour of the Fort Snelling Upper Post, part of Minnesota’s first National Historic Landmark District. Have you seen these buildings from Highway 5 and wondered what was being done to save them? Then this is the tour for you! Fort Snelling, Minnesota’s first National Historic Landmark, illustrates the challenges inherent in balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders with historic preservation treatment standards and adaptive reuse. Named as one of the nation’s top 11 Most Endangered properties in 2006 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, you’ll hear of the plans and progress to preserve and adaptively reuse the dozens of historic structures on this large urban site.
Note: This is a walking tour, please wear appropriate footwear.
PAM-o-rama #6 - Fantasy Homes
Visit St. Paul Fantasy Homes of the 1920’s
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tour start time: 1:00 pm
Tour capacity: 30 people
St. Paul enjoyed the services of numerous gifted residential designers in the 1920s. Some were among the state’s first full-fledged architects. All excelled in period design during the last era in which American s would chose styles for their historical or exotic associations as much as for their visual appeal and utility. Model home competitions provided these designers with the opportunity to stretch their imaginations in designing practicable and attractive designs for mass production. Many came forth with fantastical designs inspired by the revival of historic architectural periods like the Colonial, Mediterranean, and even Egyptian periods. The designers came to shape the architectural fabric of Highland Park and the Mississippi River edge of the city. This tour will focus in these neighborhoods. You will see the exteriors of the fantasy homes and hear about the designer’s inspiration from acclaimed architectural historian Paul Clifford Larson, co-author of St. Paul’s Architecture.
Note: This is a walking tour, please wear appropriate footwear.
