J.E. & R.E. Johnson Grocery, 2900 East 26th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
From Placeography
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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) | ||
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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 | ||
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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) | ||
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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 | ||
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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 | |
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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 |
(44.955813° N, 93.229646° WLatitude: 44°57′20.927″N
Longitude: 93°13′46.726″W)
Contents |
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.