When I learned that a friend who recently retired loves to knit, I knew I had to give her a gift card for The Yarnery… a wonderful learning-focused yarn shop that has been around in several different locations since 1972 and is now located in a light-filled site on Selby in the cool Ramsey Hill Historic District. It not only has an extensive selection of high quality yarns, including many not often found in other shops, they also have knitting kits, supplies and books.
The Ramsey Hill Historic District has a long history. When people started building there in the 1800s they were country estates, built along the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Hard to imagine it as a rural setting with no infrastructure.
There was a building surge in the 1880s, and people with money built big, elegant homes. Fast forward to the mid 1900s and it was considered a ‘bad’ neighborhood, with many homes demolished in the 1940s to 1960s. Many of the ones left had been subdivided into multiple units and were in poor condition. Then came a surge of neighborhood renovation and historic preservation in the 1970s, and The Historic Hill Heritage Preservation District was formed.
Urban pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s formed a grass roots movement to take back the city and restore these beautiful buildings.
The streets are now lined with beautifully restored houses and the retail district along Selby is thriving with restaurants and shops. WA Frost was one of the first commercial buildings restored… opened in 1975 and still a landmark in the district. Its outdoor patio is one of the best in the metro.
Learn more about the Historic Hill District in the fascinating documentary linked below from Twin Cities Public Television. This is a neighborhood filled with identity and pride, not just nostalgia and awe.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – shensrud@homesmsp.com
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