The Tour Guides Present:

1
The Tour Guides Present

• A Virtual Walking Tour

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What We Will Be Doing Today

• Focus on aspects and places in Mankato that we as
  a group found interesting
• Talk in-depth why we found these things
  interesting
• Discuss what makes all these aspects unique
• Give factual information about each of the topics
• Show where these things can be located, or where
  they used to be located in the Mankato area

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First Stop!

• The Mankato Fire Department

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History of the Mankato Fire Station

• Created in April of 1860
• By 1867 there were two companies
• They were big competitors
• The fire trucks were upgraded to horse drawn
  wagons

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History Continued

• August 1898 the city of Mankato bought out the
  fire companies
• They had full time staff
• The Chief was Ben E. Bangerter
• Many men were volunteer fire fighters

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The Facts of the Fire Station

• In 1993 the first female fire fighters were added
  to the staff as volunteers
• Mankato has 5 stations that are currently in use
• Chart shows the amount of calls received by the
  fire department in 1970 compared to 1999

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Next Stop!

• The Minnesota River

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Minnesota River

• 465 Miles Long
• Takes rise 165 miles NW of Mankato at Big Stone
  Lake
• Mankato lies at the Great South Bend

9
Steamboats

• Started coming from St. Paul in 1850s
• Carried settlers, food, building supplies, crops
  and mail
• Usually ran 2-3 months per year

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Flooding

• 1st recorded food 1881
• 1908 Webster Ave. built up as a dike
• 1951 North Mankato flooded
• Dike built higher
• 1965 flood hit Mankato
• Army Corps of Engineers called in and built what
  we see today

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Next Stop!

• Front Street

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Old Central Business District

• Three of the largest early businesses that would
  contribute to solidifying Front Street as the
  business block were
• R.D. Hubbard Company flour mills
• The largest linseed oil plain in the U.S.
• Creamery Package Mfg. Company
• Also lined with small specialty shops
• Remained main commercial street of Mankato until
  approximately 1975

13
Urban Renewal Project

• Close to five blocks of commercial Front Street
  was demolished to make way for new development
• Project was not pursued and was replaced by
  Mankato Place

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Front Street Today

• Support smaller specialty shops and restaurants
• Has also become synonymous as the entertainment
  district in downtown Mankato
• This unique area helps make Mankato a funky
  place

15
Next Stop!

• Matt J. Graif Clothing Building

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History of The Matt J. Graif Clothing Store

• First opened in 1924 at 310 South Front Street
• Originally owned by Matt J. Graif and Bill Marso
• Matts son John would join the business in 1946,
  the same time Marso left
• Store moved twice before it would reside in its
  current location
• The store is currently owned and operated by John
  Graifs son in-law Gary Kratzke

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History of The Matt J. Graif Building

• The building wasnt always occupied by Matt J.
  Graif Clothing Company
• It was originally the National Citizens Bank
  Building until 1963
• The building was home to the bank as well as
  several other enterprises

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Architecture Seen in Graif Building

• The style seen in Graif Building is Renaissance
  Revival
• How can you tell its a Renaissance Revival?
• When was this style first seen?
• The Graif Building also has interesting
  architecture on the inside. Great example of
  Coffered Ceilings.
• The building also has a very decorative cornice

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Next Stop!

• The Mankato Civic Center

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Funding the Midwest Wireless Civic Center

• How they decided where the funds would come from
• Who would pay for the Civic Center
• How would this effect people who live in Mankato

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• There was a vote to decide whether or not to
  build the Civic Center
• Everyone who lives in Mankato would be affected
  by the Civic Center
• Everyone in Mankato is effected by
• -5 Sales Tax Increase
• Business also hit by Sales Tax
• -Mall pays 1.13 million per year in Sales Tax

22
Next Stop!

• The Old MSU Lower Campus

23
Old Main

• Built in 1870
• First permanent building for school
• Run by George Gage
• 1922 destroyed by fire
• Rebuild in 1924

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Dorms

• Started out with no dorms
• Built 3 to increase enrollment that was lost
• Daniel Buck hall
• Housed around 90 women.
• Cost 75,000
• Placement of the dorm offered fascinating view of
  Mankato.

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Next Stop!

• Fascinating Architecture in the Mankato Area

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Elizabethan Architecture
These are the Newbury Apartments located at 817
South Second Street here in Mankato. The style
of architecture used in constructing this
building was Elizabethan Architecture
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Elizabethan Style Homes

• Received its name from the Queen Elizabeth
  reign, which was from 1558-1603
• Was very popular from the late 1500s throughout
  the 1600s
• When building these style of homes architects
  used the E-Plan which can be seen on the next
  slide

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Characteristics of Typical Elizabethan Home

• Usually consist of numerous halls, chapels, great
  rooms, parlors and large bay windows
• Also may have beautiful gardens and large stables
• These homes were built by people who had a great
  deal of money

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Queen Anne Architecture
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A Brief History of Queen Anne Architecture

• Architectural fashion in the 1880s to the 1890s
• 1st American Queen Anne Style home H.H.
  Richardsons Watts Sherman house in Newport, RI
• One of about 8 Victorian Styles
• Queen Anne architecture has nothing to do with
  Queen Anne, instead it was popular during Queen
  Victorias reign.

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Characteristics of a Queen Ann Home

• Witchs capped tower
• Patterned shingles, a.k.a. fish scales
• Many have limestone foundations
• Gingerbread
• Originally were painted in bright, rich colors
• However, not all of these are necessary to make a
  home a Queen Anne

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Queen Annes in Mankato

• Many homes have witch's capped towers
• Limestone foundations made of local Kasota stone
• Good example of a Queen Anne is the Johnson and
  Moonan Law Office at the corner of South Second
  Street

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The End Ben Barsness Andrea Herjom Kimberly
Rose Brandon Drescher Mark Brandl Corey
Fossen Brian Ernst Kara Boland