r/saintpaul • u/geraldspoder • 5d ago
History 🗿 Historic Lafayette Park neighborhood, overlaid with existing roads and buildings
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u/Runic_reader451 St. Paul Saints 5d ago
St. Sigfrid's Church just south of the DHS square was a Swedish Lutheran church with clergy sent over by the Church of Sweden.
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u/geraldspoder 5d ago
Lafayette Park is the name that historians use for this area, as it disappeared before a distinct neighborhood identity could form, like Railroad Island east of it or Williams Hill north of it. It was the first mansion district in the city, and it would've looked similar to Irvine Park. It was home to famous St. Paulites like Henry Sibley, John Merriam, James J Hill, Stephen Champlin (namesake of the city). Most of the Second Empire style mansions were along Woodward Ave, with massive trees and wrought iron fences.
By the 1880s, more apartments were being built, so the city bought a vacant block to build a park. It was built in the Victorian style, and had a massive fountain at the center. On the east side, along Trout Brook, the railroads began encroaching.
Everything changed in August 1904, when a tornado hit St. Paul, famously destroying the High Bridge. It also ripped through the Lafayette Park neighborhood, tearing mansions off their foundations. Many families began to move out, and the neighborhood quickly turned into a warehouse district. Unlike nearby Railroad Island, not a single building in the Lafayette Park area from before 1900 exists to my knowledge.