Red Wing: Preserved and Vibrant

Location coordinates:
44°33'56"N, 92°32'05"W
Red Wing, Minnesota


     There is a scene from the 1985 movie Back to the Future where Michael J. Fox's character, Marty McFly, finds himself transported back in time to his hometown square in the year 1955. McFly steps into a world that in many communities has ceased to exist, where picturesque town centers are buzzing with commerce and residents find services and entertainment offered with enthusiasm. What that character is shown to experience is what I felt when I took a drive about an hour southeast to the town of Red Wing, MN.
     I am a big supporter of historic preservation, and in Red Wing I was happy to discover well-maintained and actively used buildings dating from the mid-19th century. I began a walking tour at Levee Park on the waterfront of the Mississippi River, where I watched river traffic from a swinging park bench reminiscent of an old front porch. Set back from Levee Park is the stately St. James Hotel, built in the 1870s and perfectly preserved inside and out. Back on Main Street I was excited to see restaurants, retailers, a furniture store with Main Street display windows, and various other thriving businesses operating from the historic buildings. If there were any empty storefronts in these great old structures they were well disguised. Adding to the ambiance was the fact the downtown area showed no disrepair and was as clean as could be.
     A V-shaped park running perpendicular to the riverfront and situated between West Avenue and East Avenue was my next stop. Attractive churches line both sides of East and West Avenues and were mixed in with the post office, library, an outdoor stage, and county government buildings. Children were playing a game in the park, residents were walking their dogs, and church bells chimed every fifteen minutes. Except for the passing modern cars, I imagine the scene looked the same in the 1950s (or 40s, or 30s, etc).
     It would have been nice to hang around in this comforting time warp for a few days, but I had to move on. Someday I'll return for a weekend to spend more time enjoying the best of the past successfully blended with the present. Congratulations to the people of Red Wing for setting the example of how to sustain architecturally significant buildings and maintain wonderful community charm.