Images of America: Downtown St. Paul

Images of America: Downtown St. Paul
Author: Iric Nathanson
Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2019
128 pages; soft cover; photos; $22.95

If you are a St. Paul history buff and enjoy viewing historic images, you will want to have a copy of Iric Nathanson’s new book, Downtown St. Paul. A superb addition to the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing, Nathanson, in 128 image-filled pages, captures the essence of St. Paul’s evolution as Minnesota’s capital city.

The images – each accompanied by a concise and informative paragraph – are organized in six chapters, beginning with the founding of St. Paul in the 1840s. Subsequent chapters detail challenges facing the city in the 1900s and conclude with images portraying its revival in the twenty-first century as a major sports, entertainment, and cultural center. Each page contains a nugget of information that serves to illuminate the development of St. Paul’s downtown.

Nathanson selected images for the book from a variety of historical archives that highlight the unique character of each period in the city’s growth. The content in his narrative descriptions is drawn from credible sources that provide interesting information about the city.

If you are just beginning to learn about the history of St. Paul, this book will entice you to continue the quest for knowledge.

Bob Muschewske is a retired management consultant who has worked in St. Paul since the 1970s. He is a former member of the board of Ramsey County Historical Society and is a past president of The Saint Paul Camera Club.