Ramsey County History – Winter 2016: “Creative Destruction in the Midway”

Creative Destruction in the Midway
Author: John W. Diers

The intersection of Snelling and University Avenues in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood is a case study in what economists call “creative destruction.” There, in 1908, the Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company built a large carbarn and other streetcar shops. When streetcars gave way to buses in the 1950s, the site became a garage for the Metropolitan Transit system and a shopping center. Then, in 2002, Metro Transit relocated and demolished its garage leaving the site empty until 2015 when the City of Saint Paul and the United Football Club agreed that the professional soccer team could build a $120 million stadium on the vacant land and bring Major League Soccer to the Twin Cities. This latest venture is expected to bring new economic vitality to the area.
PDF of Diers article