Thousands of cheering spectators filled the south lawn of the State Capitol to watch Gov. Mark Dayton sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriage into law.
These photos capture the scene at the Capitol yesterday when the Minnesota Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the 12th state to do so.
Six months after Minnesotans rejected a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage, the Minnesota House Thursday made an historic turn, voting to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
Jennifer Simonson and Sasha Aslanian captured the scene at the Capitol yesterday.
Bottoms up! St. Paul’s Summit Brewing Co. took delivery of four 18,600-gallon stainless steel fermentation tanks today.
By July, Summit will install a dozen of the new 45-foot-tall vessels, allowing the brewery to double its beer-making capacity.
Read more and see more photos here.
(MPR Photos/Jennifer Simonson)
St. Paul Union Depot, Seven Years After Closing, 1978
Passenger rail service officially came to an end in downtown St. Paul on April 30, 1971. The last train, the Burlington Afternoon Zephyr, left the depot that evening, bound for Minneapolis. Amtrak launched its passenger service to the Twin Cities the next day, bypassing downtown St. Paul. These photos, taken seven years after the fact, come from a wonderful collection by Kurt Haubrich.
Photos via Flickr: Electroburger’s Photostream
The City of St. Paul has an update to its Lowertown Ballpark project and, as promised, it’s giving the park a new look.
The new renderings are the latest in a series of developments on the $54 million ballpark project this spring.
Abatement of the hazardous materials in the Diamond Products building started April 15 — contractors are removing fluorescent bulbs, asbestos, oils and PCBs left behind from years of manufacturing on the site. It’ll take about six weeks to get all the hazardous materials out, and the cavernous 650,000 square foot building is scheduled to be demolished starting in July.
The demolition is expected to run through August, and soil remediation, utility relocation and grading will go on all summer and into the fall. If that all goes as expected, construction on the actual ballpark is scheduled to start in December.
The new design will run about $1.7 million to draw up and is expected to include:
- Dog park
- Pedestrian plaza
- Tailgating
- Bicycle & pedestrian trail connections
- Art displays
- Improved ADA accessibility
- East & west entrances
(Images courtesy of the City of St. Paul)
The 100-year-old Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in St. Paul has opened a new $2.8 million wing.
Part of the expansion is the new Gorilla Forest. It will triple the gorillas’ space and will have indoor and outdoor exhibit areas as well as new features like ponds and waterfalls. Much of the outdoor viewing area is raised so that the gorillas will be above zoo visitors, which is less stressful for them.
The new Ordway Gardens exhibit will include display space for bonsai trees outside the conservatory.
The next phase of expansion includes plans for a new seal and sea lion exhibit.
Read more and see more photos.
(MPR Photos/Jennifer Simonson)
You guys. It’s April 10.
- A state of emergency has been declared in Worthington due to an ice storm.
- It’s going to snow. A lot.
So, we encourage you to find refuge in this list:
10 things to love about Minnesota summer…if it ever comes
It will come. We think.
(MPR Photos/Mark Steil)
Yearning for spring? It’s always summer at Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul.
(MPR Photos/Jeffrey Thompson)
