West Duluth Posts

Wild West Liquor Mural, 1996

Dec 05, 2016 1 Comment

wild-west-liquor

This photo is dated Dec. 5, 1996. It’s a shot of the exterior mural on the parking lot side of the former Wild West Liquor, 318 N. Central Ave. in West Duluth.

At the time it was probably a fairly new mural; the liquor store changed its name from West Duluth Liquor to Wild West Liquor at some point in the mid 1990s. I don’t remember when the mural was painted over, but I’d guess the side of the building has been plain white for at least ten years. The liquor store closed in 2015.

The building is being remodeled to open as Zenith Bookstore in summer 2017.


History, Photos

Planners take another look at West Duluth’s Memorial Park

Dec 01, 2016 No Comments

memorial-park-west-duluth

The overhaul of a neglected West Duluth park honoring local war veterans has been delayed and downsized as city officials develop new plans without a multi-million dollar community center anchoring the project.

Duluth city officials said a two-year-old plan calling for more than $7 million in Memorial Park improvements failed to receive federal funding and a needed community center business partnership. The setback means planning will be reopened to public discussion early in 2017.

Read More


Random , ,

Gold Star Men of West Duluth: An Inventory of Memorial Park Veterans Markers

Dec 01, 2016 3 Comments

chipped-off weathered-away

As noted in the Perfect Duluth Day story “Planners take another look at West Duluth’s Memorial Park,” a majority of the bronze plates memorializing West Duluth servicemen who died in World War I are either missing or damaged. Above are images of some of the more deteriorated and/or vandalized markers. Of the original 22, just seven remain in place and in good condition.

The markers were planted under trees in 1928 and read: “This tree planted in memory of (name) killed (date) for God and country.”

Read More


History , ,

Derelict West Duluth church bites dust

Nov 30, 2016 1 Comment

st-marys-demolition

Demolition of the former West Duluth Baptist Church at 5907 Grand Ave. is underway. In August the Duluth City Council unanimously approved the plan to tear down the structure, built in 1938.

Read More


History, R.I.P.

Coolerator: Acclaimed in Hollywood, built in Duluth

Nov 10, 2016 5 Comments

coolerator-front coolerator-back

The Coolerator Company manufactured refrigerators and sold them in every state and 74 foreign nations. It began in 1908 as the Duluth Showcase Company, a manufacturer of store fixtures in Downtown Duluth. Operations moved to 50th Avenue West and Wadena Street in 1921. The focus switched to iceboxes in 1928 and the business was renamed Duluth Refrigerator Company. It became the Coolerator Company in 1932 and opened a manufacturing plant in New Duluth in 1935.

Read More


History , ,

Reader publisher buys former West Theater

Oct 27, 2016 3 Comments

west-theater-duluth-2016

A repurposed West Duluth movie theater has been sold to the publisher of an alternative weekly newspaper. The historic West Theater building at 317-319 N. Central Avenue was purchased earlier this month by Duluth Reader founder and publisher Robert Boone, operating as Paladin Properties LLC. The building was previously owned by David Orman, whose now-defunct promotional products business Raven & Associates headquartered there from 2012 to 2014.

Read More


News and Current Affairs ,

Duluth 1200 Fund Advance West Loan Program

Sep 09, 2016 No Comments

West DuluthA new loan program designed to spur the revitalization of older stock commercial buildings and create jobs in West Duluth and West End business districts is detailed in a brochure released by the city of Duluth and the Duluth 1200 Fund Board. The program is intended to help with commercial building acquisition or improvements in the form of a loan up to $50,000 with opportunity to have up to one half of the balance forgiven, assuming program requirements are met.

The maximum amount of the loans will range between $10,000 and $20,000 per job created, up to the $50,000 limit. The loans are only available for commercial buildings in the 55806 and 55807 zip codes. The buildings must be owner occupied (not leased) by a small business committed to creating two or more full-time equivalent jobs within two years. Further details are available in the brochure below.

Read More


News and Current Affairs ,

Book store will replace Wild West Liquor; other slow-moving changes in the works on Central Avenue in West Duluth

Sep 08, 2016 7 Comments
The former Wild West Liquor building on Central Avenue is being remodeled and new owners plan to open a used book store in the space next summer.

The former Wild West Liquor building, at left, is being remodeled and new owners plan to open a used book store there next summer.

A Carleton College professor and his wife have purchased a former West Duluth liquor store and plan to open a used book shop in a business district targeted by city officials for redevelopment.

Bob and Angel Dobrow of Northfield bought the Wild West Liquor building, 318 N. Central Ave., in July for $214,000 and plan to open Zenith Bookstore in the space next summer. The couple, along with friends and family, have gutted the 1890s building and exposed its original floors, tin ceilings and brick walls. They will eventually fill the store with thousands of books from their collection, recent purchases and new finds.

Read More


News and Current Affairs ,

When West Duluth Was Young

Jul 27, 2016 1 Comment

When West Duluth Was Young - cover

In the summer of 1994, a group of West Duluth kids met with a group of senior citizens from the neighborhood and wrote down their stories for a booklet. Here is the entirety of When West Duluth Was Young: An Intergenerational Writing Workshop, with thanks to Aunt Becky for passing it along.

Read More


History

Plant of Zenith Furnace Company at West Duluth

Jul 23, 2016 No Comments

Zenith Furnace Company Duluth

Zenith Furnace Company was organized in 1902 and located on St. Louis Bay at 59th Avenue West. The company manufactured pig iron and byproducts of coal gas, ammonia and coal tar. In 1931 the company was acquired by Interlake Iron Corporation and was a source of steel during World War II for use in government defense equipment. It closed in 1962.

Read More


History, Photos ,

Western Duluth by Air

Jul 18, 2016 No Comments

DMIR DocksDuluth aerial footage by Charlie Dinges, featuring Wade Stadium, the ore docks, grungy industrial stuff and pretty trees.


Videos , , ,

Denfeld Senior Graduation Video 2016

Jun 12, 2016 No Comments

Denfeld GraduationA shot-by-shot re-make of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feelin’!” produced by Denfeld High School’s graduating class of 2016.


Videos ,

Video Archive: Charlie’s Club Fire of 2006

May 22, 2016 1 Comment

On the evening of May 22 and into the morning of May 23, 2006 — Charlie’s Club in West Duluth was destroyed by fire.

Read More


History

Woodblind & Big Wave Dave and the Ripples – “Kom-on-Inn”

Apr 27, 2016 No Comments

 
Kom on InnWoodblind joins forces with Big Wave Dave and the Ripples on the new song “Kom-on-Inn.”  With the help of Myke Dixon and crew, the hospitality of the Kom-on-Inn staff and the participation from friends and fans this video was created. It was shot on Jan. 17, and after a few months of editing it was released on April 5 with performances by both bands and video premiere at the Kom-on-Inn.

Read More


Music, Videos , , ,

Commerce on the River: Loll Designs

Apr 26, 2016 1 Comment

rsz_img_9138

OneRiverMN-Logo-FC-BadgeIn a manufacturing facility a few hundred feet from Stryker Bay in West Duluth, Greg Benson leads a company dedicated to making outdoor furniture “for the modern lollygagger.” Before launching Loll Designs, however, Benson built skateboard ramps. He started out in his neighbor’s garage and eventually worked with municipalities to design and implement custom skate parks. The excess materials turned out to make attractive and durable Adirondack-style chairs, and a new business was born.

“A lot of people assume that I must have been a skater, but really I enjoy hiking, kayaking, camping and being outdoors much more,” Benson says. He and his brother Dave, both University of Minnesota Duluth graduates, along with Tony Ciardelli , founded both Loll and Epicurean, a company that makes cutting boards and other kitchen products. They sold TrueRide in 2008 to a California company and took what they had learned and ran with it.

Read More


News and Current Affairs , , ,