Monday, November 19, 2007

200 posts

The counter on the archive to the left and on the dashboard when I log on report 199 posts. That must make this one number 200.

Yesterday I had a picture of the Hill Mansion. Next door from 1887 to 1959 was the Amherst Wilder Mansion.

In his architectural guide to the Twin Cities, Larry Millet says that this was the finest among 60 or so lost mansions on Summit Avenue. He calls it probably one of the two or three grandest houses on Summit Avenue.

Wilder, whose fortune continues to finance good works in Saint Paul, lived in the house until his death in 1894. The Wilder mansion later became the property of the Catholic Archdiocese. For 41 years, the Wilder served as the Archbishop's house until its last occupant, Archbishop Gregory Murray, refused to live there... "too ostentatious", he said. Instead of being preserved, it was torn down in 1959, in what Millet calls, "a great loss to the city."

So that's all I got for today. 162 rides, 200 posts, 4,000 miles, as Wireless said back in the beginning, this bike thing is totally bloggable.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Or, in a horrid mis-use of numbers, an average of 20 miles per post. (Groan.) I'm thinking of switching to an 'activity' focus on my blog, during the dark season. Perhaps using it as a spur to do some form of physical activity several days a week, so I can report on it. I need all the motivation I can find.

I like the historical houses theme, I should add. SS

Anonymous said...

Interesting stuff. The link points to more good stuff. I was unaware of this building, although the Wilder name is quite familiar. TT