This walking tour begins at the site of the Lyman Dayton home. The home sat on the now vacant southwest portion of the block bordered by Maria, East 3rd Street, Conway, and Mounds Boulevard.  The home had commanded a picturesque view of the Mississippi River, as well as the West Side and Downtown St. Paul. Built by Dayton in the early 1850's, the home was sold after his death in 1865 when his wife moved to Dayton, Minnesota. The house was then used as a boarding house and in the early 1900's it was converted into apartments. The Henry O'Conner family owned the building from about 1900 until it was destroyed in the mid 1970's, as it stood on the freeway right of way. 

Built up in the early 1900's, this was one of the first commercial strips of Dayton's Bluff. It was the terminus of the Grand-Maria street car line. Some businesses from the past included the Mounds Park State Bank, Brauning Bakery, Westby's Drug Store, Deluxe Theater, and Brown's Livery Stable. 

3. 267 Maria

Ilma and Martha Scheffer taught dancing in their home for a time around 1920. Their father, Albert Scheffer, had been active in many organizations - the school board, the state legislature, G.R.A., a founder of the Winter Carnival, and others. Members of the Scheffer family lived in this home for over 60 years. 

4. 258 Maria

This was a typical neighborhood store building, which could be found throughout all neighborhoods at one time. It was here that the Rossi Grocery Store was located during the 1920's - 1940's. Now this building has been converted into apartments. 

5. 252 Maria

Piano lessons for neighborhood children were taught here by Florence Hudson in the 1930's and 1940's. Many of the homes in this part of Dayton's Bluff were built for working people, and in the 1920's these were advertised as "homes within walking distance of work." People could easily walk to downtown St. Paul by way of Third Street. 

6. 805 Hudson

The building that once housed a filling station still stands on what was at one time Highway 12 - a main route to the east of St. Paul. A lot of traffic used the Third Street Viaduct in route to and from downtown St. Paul. 

7. Bates and Hudson Business District

Some businesses from the past included Julius Diliewicz's Furniture and Basket Shop, Blackmun's Hardware Store, F B. Bigler Potato Chip Factory, Bach & Brown Feed Co., and Neville Grocery Store. 

8. 707 Wilson

The Schornstein Grocery and Saloon building was built in 1884 for $5,000. This French Second Empire building was designed by architect A. F Gauger. In recent years this building has been nicely renovated and is on the National Historic Register. 

9. 243 Bates

The Bates Avenue Methodist Church was organized in 1882. In 1904 this church was built and its name changed to the Holman Memorial Methodist Church, in memory of Rev. F. O. Holman, the first pastor of the Bates Avenue Church. The Holman congregation is now part of the Mounds Park United Methodist Church. 

The Dayton's Bluff Elementary School opened here in 1974, replacing three older schools - Sibley, Mounds Park, and Van Buren. The present school is located close to where Van Buren School had been. Van Buren was built in 1882, with additions in 1883 and 1887. Included among former students was Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Warren Burger; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun; and District Court Judge Edward Devitt. A fire station sat on the northwest corner of Conway and Maple, across the street from Van Buren School. Students enjoyed watching the beautiful white horses that pulled the fire rigs. Before the Fire Station was built, Dayton's Bluff had an all-volunteer fire department. 

11. 284 Bates

The Atlantic Congregational Church was organized in 1883, and this building was built in 1902. 

12. McLean School

The north side of Conway between Maria and Bates was the site of McLean School, built in the 1870's. This was a small frame school house that had four teachers. McLean was soon replaced with Van Buren School in 1882, because of the rapid growth of Dayton's Bluff. 

13. 308 Bates

This is one of the houses Congressman Oscar E. Keller lived in during the years of his Dayton's Bluff residency. 

14. 705 East 4th Street

This was the home of Dr. Plondke, one of the founders of St. Johns Hospital and its Medical Director for over 35 years. 

15. 352 Bates

This house, built in 1902, is a good example of the craftsman style of architecture. The architect and first owner was Max Toltz, founder of an engineering architectural firm that has been in business for over 70 years. Toltz, King, Duvall, and Anderson (TKDA) were the engineers for the Como Park Conservatory, the Robert Street Bridge, the St. Paul Union Depot, the new Third Street Bridge, and many more structures. 

16. 691, 663, 661 and 652 East 5th Street

Various homes lived in by the Seeger family. The Seeger Refrigeration Company evolved to become part of Whirlpool, which later closed operation. It is now the site of a retail development on Arcade. 

17. 653 East 5th Street

The Adolph Muench family was the first owner of this Queen Anne style home. Many of Adolph's brothers and sisters also lived in the lower bluff area of Dayton's Bluff. This house is on the National Historic Register. 

18. Mounds Boulevard and East 6th Street

St. John's German Lutheran Hospital opened in the Willus Mansion at 408 Hoffman Avenue (now Mounds Boulevard) in 191 1. A new building was built for the hospital in 1915, and the Willus house became a nurses residence for several years before being torn down. It is now the site of Metropolitan State University. 

19. 652 East 6th Street (334 Mounds Boulevard)

This was the Gustave Muench house built in 1869. The front lawn of this residence terraced down to Hoffman Avenue. When Mounds Boulevard was built, the front lawn was shortened and the house was given a Mounds Boulevard address. Originally Hoffman Avenue was called Dayton Avenue. In 1872 the name was changed to honor James K Hoffman, who operated saw mills at the foot of Dayton's Bluff, and later became an elected official. Early in the 1900's Mounds Boulevard came into being with the upgrading of Hoffman Avenue. At one time it was planned to have Mounds Boulevard wind across Swede Hollow and eventually connect the State Capital with Mounds Park. This did not happen, however, for Mounds Boulevard never crossed East 7th Street. 

20. Connemara Patch

Over one hundred years ago houses lined the streets that were scattered through the Trout Brook-Phalen Creek bed. The East 3rd and Commercial Street area, located under the Third Street Bridge, was a neighborhood that got its name, Connemara Patch, when Irish people moved to these homes in the 1880's. The Irish had originally come to Minnesota as part of Archbishop Ireland's plan for Irish immigrants to farm in western Minnesota. Many didn't like farming and moved to St. Paul, taking jobs as laborers. As the Irish prospered many moved out of Connemara Patch, and of these, many settled in the Dayton's Bluff area. 

If you have additional information about the history of the Third Street area or old photographs to share, please call Karin DuPaul at 776-0550.

Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society 

This tour guide was made possible by the Dayton's Bluff Community Council
For more information, please call 651-772-2075