Neighborhood Profile The East Harriet neighborhood is located in Minneapolis' Southwest Community. It takes its name from Lake Harriet, which Fort Snelling builder Col. Henry Leavenworth named after his wife in 1819. The neighborhood is bordered by 36th Street on the north and 46th Street to the south. Lyndale Avenue is the eastern boundary; Lake Harriet and Lakewood Cemetery largely make up the western border of the neighborhood. In addition to these Minneapolis landmarks, the Lyndale Park Rose Garden and the Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary are located within East Harriet. Many houses in the neighborhood are two-story homes, set back from the streets. Source: City of Minneapolis East Harriet Profile Tour Guide Amy Zimmerman, East Harriet Resident. Amy Zimmerman has lived in the East Harriet neighborhood for a year and a half. While she is currently working as a Trust Administrator (estate planning), her life’s work and passion is in music. An aspiring Opera singer, she has three music degrees: B.Mus. from Immaculata University in Philadelphia, a Masters degree in Musicology, and a Masters degree in Arts Management, both from City University London. Amy is an avid Yelp contributor and blogs as Kitchen Diva, which used to be devoted to her garden and cooking but after a diagnosis of Dietary Fructose Intolerance (DFI) she now focuses on recipes that are DFI friendly. Tour Route Walk focused on three main park highlights. You can follow our footsteps by accessing the East Harriet walk on MapMyWalk.com. On the day that we met for our tour, it was approximately 100 degrees with 75% humidity (read: hot, sweaty mess). So, we both agreed it would be best to limit our tour to a few key highlights around Amy's home which happen to be some of the most gorgeous spaces that the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board have to offer. I know there is more to East Harriet and I look forward to returning. If you want to be the next tour guide for East Harriet, fill out the tour guide form. Tour Highlights Lyndale Farmstead Park Sign. "Lyndale Farmstead Park, located on a scenic hillside at 39th and Bryant Ave. S, is one of the most historically-significant park sites in the city. Originally the Lyndale Farm, owned by Colonel William S. King, the land was acquired by the Minneapolis Park Board in 1899." Source: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.  Lyndale Farmstead historical information sign. Lyndale Farmstead once had greenhouses and was host site to many large flower shows, beginning in 1908 until 1975. The above photo depicts one of many signs provided by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board; giving visitors a glimspe into our park's rich history. For avid history buffs, I recommend you visit Parks, Lakes, Trails and So Much More: An Overview of the Histories of MPRB Properties (PDF).  Theodore Wirth Home and Administration Building, 3954 Bryant Avenue South Minneapolis, MN. The beautiful building you see below was once home to Theodore Wirth, the man we can thank for laying the foundation for our fabulous parks system. The City of Minneapolis lured him away from Hartford, CT with promises of a home. His legacy is being documented through this project - a "playground within a quarter-mile of every child and a complete recreation center within a half-mile of every family". Source: American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.  Theodore Wirth Home and Administration Building, 3954 Bryant Avenue South Minneapolis, MN.  The Theodore Wirth Home and Administration Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.  The sledding hill behind Theodore Wirth House reminds Amy of North Central Pennsylvania where she grew up. In Pennsylvania, they call it the sugar bowl. According to the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, this sledding hill is called "King's Hill" after William King.  Lyndale Farmstead Park, 3900 Bryant Ave. S Minneapolis, MN.  One of seven stone sculptures on the Pathway to Peace which connects the East Harriet neighborhood with the Peace Garden. Each sculpture includes words that represent the community’s feelings about the meaning of peace. (source: Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board website)  Lyndale Peace Garden, 4124 Roseway Road Minneapolis, MN. The Peace Garden was originally called The Rock Garden so you'll se references to it as the "Peace (Rock) Garden" in places such as the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. The rocks within the park create a micro-climate for plants such as alpine and conifer.  The Spirit of Peace by local artist, Caprice Glaser. The Spirite of Peace bronze sculpture was created by Caprice Glaser, a St. Paul artist. The sculpture was dedicated in 2006 and the ceremony is described in the Twin Cities Daily Planet article by Tom Laventure.  Origami paper and instructional plaques allow visitors to create their own peace crane.  A view of the park and one of the Pathway to Peace sculptures.  Lyndale Park Rose Garden, 4124 Roseway Road, Minneapolis, MN. The Lyndale Park Rose Garden features more than 3,000 plants in 100 varieties. It is a common destination for outdoor weddings and photo sessions. I've visited the park on days when there are between 3-4 photo shoots of wedding parties happening at a time.  Mary and Bill were visiting The Rose Gardens with their dog Sunny.  Evidence of vandalism - soap suds rising from the drain.  Evidence of soap vandalism to the fountain.  Leslee Hagberg and Monica Sharratt, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board employees. Little did we know when we set out on our tour of East Harriet's finest parks that we would happen upon a scene of a crime! Mischievous vandals left a big, soapy mess which caused the Phelps Fountain to be shut down for maintenance. Fortunately we stayed long enough to see the fountain turned back on.  Phelps Fountain. Phelps Fountain: "Gift of Edmund J. Phelps, then a Park Commissioner. The fountain originally stood in Gateway Park. It was moved to its current location in 1963 when the original site was redeveloped." Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum Art Inventories Catalog  The Heffelfinger Fountain in The Rose Garden. The Heffelfinger Fountain: "Gift of Frank Totton Heffelfinger to the Minneapolis Board of Park Commissioners in 1944. The fountain dates to the 17th century and was previously located at the Villa Montalto in Italy. Heffelfinger purchased the fountain in the 1920s and also donated $8,000 towards its installation." Source: Smithsonian American Art Museum Art Inventories Catalog  Roses, Japanese Beetles and an informational sign. Though I was able to capture a few full blooms, the Rose Garden was dramatically impacted by the Japanese Beetle. The Star Tribune and Southwest Patch wrote articles explaining the impact of this scarab beetle.  Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway information signs.  Yoga in the park.  East Harriet home. After walking through the beautiful parks, Amy showed me examples of beautiful homes and gardens in the neighborhood. The home above reminds Amy of those that would be in Connecticut or Cape Cod.  Stained glass depicting Lake Harriet.  Amy and Peter's outdoor oasis.  Beautiful garden maintained by East Harriet homeowner.  Condos at 39th and Aldrich. East Lake Harriet LinksInvite me back!Fill out the tour guide form if you want to take a walk with me and make multiple stops or fill out the neighborhood gem nomination form for me to consider featuring a specific person, place or thing! Share with friends and leave a comment!Twitter and Facebook buttons below allow you to easily share this blog post with your friends. While you're at it, like Minneapolis 81 on Facebook and follow on Twitter!
I'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment. What was your favorite part of this tour? What places do you plan on visiting? Do you live and/or work in the neighborhood? If so, do you have additional information on any of our tour highlights?
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