Ramsey County History – Summer 2005: “Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City”

Lots of St. Paul: A Photo Essay on Downtown Parking and What Urban History Can Tell Us about a City
Author: Steve Trimble

This photo essay is a response to a letter to the editor wondering why the magazine bothered to publish an article on “nothing more than a parking ramp.” It opens with four quotes from 1927 to 1986 all saying how lack of parking was hurting the downtown St. Paul economy. In fact, the search for parking was perhaps the most powerful force in shaping the cities. American culture had been increasingly enamored with the automobile. At first, older buildings were converted, then new “auto laundries,” as service stations added auxiliary services. Next was the development of flat surfaces for parking, which had a negative effect on pedestrians and left gaps in the city fabric. The 1950s bought large ramps and later self-parking.
PDF of Trimble article