J.E. & R.E. Johnson Grocery, 2900 East 26th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota

From Placeography

Revision as of 18:48, October 26, 2009 (view source) Epsteinw (Talk | contribs) ← Older edit		Revision as of 17:10, December 24, 2009 (view source) Epsteinw (Talk | contribs) Newer edit →
Line 47:		Line 47:
	Image:Dwj011456--Albertina Rhodes Johnson.jpg|Albertina Rhodes Johnson (1869 - 1951)		Image:Dwj011456--Albertina Rhodes Johnson.jpg|Albertina Rhodes Johnson (1869 - 1951)
	Image:Dwj011456--Roger and Agnes.jpg|Son Roger Edward Johnson (1894 - 1972) and wife Agnes McLean Johnson (1897 - 1963)		Image:Dwj011456--Roger and Agnes.jpg|Son Roger Edward Johnson (1894 - 1972) and wife Agnes McLean Johnson (1897 - 1963)
		+	</gallery>
		+	<gallery>
	Image:Dwj011456--Johnson Grandchildren.jpg|Jacob and Albertina with their grandchildren (Easter 1931, ''Note: the store is in the background'')		Image:Dwj011456--Johnson Grandchildren.jpg|Jacob and Albertina with their grandchildren (Easter 1931, ''Note: the store is in the background'')
	Image:Dwj011456--Lois and Bill.jpg|Grandson Bill Johnson with his 2nd cousin Lois Iverson in the store garden		Image:Dwj011456--Lois and Bill.jpg|Grandson Bill Johnson with his 2nd cousin Lois Iverson in the store garden
	Image:Dwj011456--Store scene REJ.jpg|Roger E Johnson (with sister Evelyn Johnson Smith) behind the counter  - front left area of store		Image:Dwj011456--Store scene REJ.jpg|Roger E Johnson (with sister Evelyn Johnson Smith) behind the counter  - front left area of store
		+	</gallery>
		+	<gallery>
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_interior_ca1933.jpg|Store interior ca 1933		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_interior_ca1933.jpg|Store interior ca 1933
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_windows_ca1933.jpg|Store windows ca 1933		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_windows_ca1933.jpg|Store windows ca 1933
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_advertising_1933.jpg|Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (top)		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_advertising_1933.jpg|Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (top)
		+	</gallery>
		+	<gallery>
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_advertising2_1933.jpg|Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (bottom)		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_advertising2_1933.jpg|Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (bottom)
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_invoice_1903.jpg|Invoice dated April 24, 1903; notice that the address is 2904 ''(not 2900)'' East 26th Street.		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_invoice_1903.jpg|Invoice dated April 24, 1903; notice that the address is 2904 ''(not 2900)'' East 26th Street.
	Image:Dwj011456--2900_E_26th.JPG|2008		Image:Dwj011456--2900_E_26th.JPG|2008
		+	</gallery>
		+	<gallery>
	Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_side_view_fall_2009.jpg|Fall 2009		Image:Epsteinw--johnson_grocery_side_view_fall_2009.jpg|Fall 2009
	{...}		{...}

---

Revision as of 17:10, December 24, 2009

Edit with form
J.E. & R.E. Johnson Grocery
View from rear of building ca 1903.
Storefront ca 1933, with winter cold air barrier installed over corner step. Small lower windows allowed natural light into the basement laundry.
Address:	2900 26th Street E
Neighborhood/s:	Seward, Minneapolis, Minnesota
City/locality- State/province	Minneapolis, Minnesota
County- State/province:	Hennepin County, Minnesota
State/province:	Minnesota
Country:	United States
Year built:	1903
Primary Style:	Commercial
Major Alterations:	Some/mostly intact
Historic Function:	Business
Historic Function:	Grocery Store, Dwelling
Other Historic Function:	Grocery Store, Dwelling
Current Function:	House/single dwelling or duplex
Builder:	Jakob Emanuel Johannesson (Jacob E. Johnson)
Material of Exterior Wall Covering:	Brick
Material of Roof:	Asphalt
Material of Foundation:	Limestone
First Owner:	Jacob E. Johnson

The Johnson Grocery was built by Swedish immigrant and master mason Jakob Emanuel Johannesson (Jacob E. Johnson) in 1903. According to his grandchildren, he was injured in a fall while working on the construction of Minneapolis City Hall, forcing him to find a new profession. He first built a candy store at 2904 East 26th Street (ca 1900; a wooden structure now gone), and later constructed the solid yellow brick building at the corner of 29th Avenue South and East 26th Street. According to an oral history (1982) and census records, at one point three generations of the Johnson family lived in the building. There is a full dwelling above the store, as well as the traditional 'storekeeper's quarters' directly behind the original retail space. In 1951 John Hajicek purchased the building. The property continued as a grocery until approximately 1965. By 1980 the building was automatically rezoned residential, and in 1982 was officially converted to a duplex. Descendants of John Hajicek continue to own and occupy the building.

Contents 1 History 2 Memories and stories 3 Photo Gallery 4 Related Links 5 Notes

History

According to the Johnson family, the store was used as a neighborhood polling (voting) location for an unknown period during the early part of the century (ca 1910). Candidate cards (with their platforms) and flags were found when renovating. Children's toys were also found, new (from the store) and used. Old marbles continually wash up in the yard and garden. Jacob and Albertina Johnson were proud of their gardens, and school children were given tours on occasion. During the Great Depression a room was rented out in the basement, and there are memories of sleeping in the yard for relief from the heat during the terribly hot summers of the 1930s.

History of major renovation: In 1982 a major renovation was undertaken to bring the building up to code. The building permit of February 9, 1982 authorizes the conversion of the "Store & Dwelling" to a duplex. All of the original wiring and most of the plumbing was replaced; a retrofitted coal boiler was replaced by one of the first high-efficiency boilers; with passive solar energy a popular option after the energy crisis of the 1970s, the large south-facing store windows were retained even though it no longer would be a store. The entire front had to be rebuilt due to rotting wood, and a giant dumpster's worth of crumbling plaster was torn out. The original floor plan was preserved, the woodwork was saved, the floors refinished, old fixtures were rewired, and the store's tin ceiling stayed in place. The masonry and limestone structure was carefully tuck pointed from top to bottom by a highly skilled mason. An added side structure with secondary exit from the second floor (no longer needed for code compliance) was removed and the building was restored to its original footprint. The integrity of the building was guarded as much as possible during renovation.

The building is solid masonry (not balloon construction with a brick facade), built three bricks thick. The massive lumber from the turn of the century supports this heavy structure. There is a full basement of limestone, and a clear span in front, with a 13-1/2 foot high tin ceiling in the old store area. The window casings are a foot deep.

Noteworthy among the special discoveries during renovation were all of the old store records and a family letter from Sweden hidden under a board in the crawl space between floors. A shoe was also found with the letter. (For good luck?) The records and letter in Swedish were returned to the Johnson family.

Memories and stories

Photo Gallery

Jacob Emmanuel Johnson (1858 - 1934)

Albertina Rhodes Johnson (1869 - 1951)

Son Roger Edward Johnson (1894 - 1972) and wife Agnes McLean Johnson (1897 - 1963)

Jacob and Albertina with their grandchildren (Easter 1931, Note: the store is in the background)

Grandson Bill Johnson with his 2nd cousin Lois Iverson in the store garden

Roger E Johnson (with sister Evelyn Johnson Smith) behind the counter - front left area of store

Store interior ca 1933

Store windows ca 1933

Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (top)

Store flyer for April 7th & 8th, 1933 (bottom)

Invoice dated April 24, 1903; notice that the address is 2904 (not 2900) East 26th Street.

2008

Fall 2009

Related Links

Notes