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A Glimpse into the 1980s Minneapolis through these Fascinating Photos of Street Scenes and Life

During the 1980s, Minneapolis went through a significant transformation. The Lake Harriet Band Shell was rebuilt in 1985, and the remaining portion of Interstate 94, from U.S. Highway 12 to the city’s northern boundary, was completed in 1982. The Multifoods Tower was also completed in 1988. Formerly home to the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was built in 1982 and demolished in 2014. A notorious area of Minneapolis known as Block-E, filled with bars and beggars, was notorious in the 1980s. Despite the recent transformation of the city block into The Mayo Clinic Square, a medical center is specializing in sports injuries, the memories of Block-E’s past remain.

In the 1980s, Minneapolis became a major player in pop music. The city’s first hit, “Funkytown” (1980), by Lipps Inc. on Casablanca Records, was one of disco’s last high moments. During the 1980s, it served as a blueprint for Minneapolis’ musical success

These fascinating photos by Todd Jacobson will take you back to the 1980s Minneapolis.

#1 Railroad tracks from Wash Ave Bridge, Warehouse District, Minneapolis, March 1985

#3 Dayton’s Department Store, 7th and Nicollet, Minneapolis, October 1989

#4 Punks on Hennepin Avenue, in front of Hot Licks/Wax Museum record store, Minneapolis, March 1985

#6 Biking along Nicollet Mall, Downtown Minneapolis, spring 1983

#8 The Uptown Grill, Hennepin Avenue,, Minneapolis, fall 1986

#9 Different varieties of love, 10th St & Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, December 1987

#12 West Lake Street, Uptown Minneapolis, February 1984

#13 First Avenue, Warehouse District, Minneapolis, December 1987

#14 900 block of Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, May 1983

#16 Old gas station at 3rd Avenue and 10th Street, Downtown Minneapolis. Piper Jaffray Tower under construction, 1983

#17 Lake Street from Hennepin Avenue, Uptown Minneapolis, February 1984

#18 Minneapolis skyline from Highway 12 (now I-394) at Penn overpass, circa early 1984

#19 Skating at Peavey Plaza, Minneapolis, December 1984

#20 Uptown Minneapolis looking south on Hennepin to Lake Street, February 1984

#21 West Lake Street, Uptown Minneapolis, February 1984

#22 Hennepin Avenue at 5th Street, Minneapolis St Patricks Day, 1985

#23 Looking west from Garfield Ave S, Minneapolis, March 1985

#26 Hennepin Avenue at 10th Street, Minneapolis, December 1987

#27 Hennepin Avenue looking north towards Lake Street, Uptown Minneapolis, October 1988

#28 Hennepin Avenue, north from 27th Street, March 1989

#29 Hennepin Avenue, Uptown Minneapolis, October 1989

#30 West Lake Street at Irving Ave, Uptown Minneapolis, October 1989

#31 North Fourth Street, Downtown Minneapolis, July 1982

#32 9th Street, looking towards Hennepin, Downtown Minneapolis, early 1983

#33 Nicollet Mall at 10th Street, Minneapolis, May 1983

#34 Nicollet Mall near 10th Street, Minneapolis, June 1983

#38 7th Street at Amfac Hotel, City Center, Minneapolis, December 1984

#39 7th Street, looking to Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, December 1984

#44 I-494 twilight, the Bloomington Strip. Minnesota Center UC at right, crane for 8400 Normandale visible in center background, fall 1986

#45 Lincoln Center under construction, Downtown Minneapolis, fall 1986

#47 Washington Avenue North, Warehouse District (North Loop), Minneapolis, December 1988

#48 7th Street and 3rd Avenue S, looking at construction site for US Bank Place (now Capella Tower or 225 S 6th St), Minneapolis, October 1989

#49 Near Hennepin and Lake, Uptown Minneapolis, October 1989

#51 Nicollet Mall, during construction of The Conservatory (Upscale Retail Mall), Minneapolis, July-August 1986

#52 Nicollet Mall near 4th Street, Minneapolis, December 1988

#53 Looking south on Nicollet Mall from NSP Plaza at 5th Street, Minneapolis, October 1989

Written by Aung Budhh

Husband + Father + librarian + Poet + Traveler + Proud Buddhist. I love you with the breath, the smiles and the tears of all my life.

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