Long before the rigid German airships that would bear his name patrolled the skies, a young Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin found early inspiration for his aeronautical adventures in downtown St. Paul. In fact, Zeppelin took the first balloon ride of his military career while visiting Minnesota as an observer during the Civil War.
Gov. Alexander Ramsey attempted to join him, but lore has it that the portly politician weighed down the gas balloon to such an extent he was forced to give up his seat to his 10-year-old daughter Marion Ramsey, who (to her mother’s horror) sailed over Jackson Street without him.
Daniela Bianchini, mosaic artist and former downtown resident, is decorating 20 trash cans in downtown St. Paul. Some cylinders, “most of them are squares.” Art and music theme by Ordway, library by library, etc pic.twitter.com/8b6l0MSiqB
— FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) June 14, 2019
The events of Aug. 18, 1863, arguably changed the course of history — Zeppelins became a ubiquitous presence during World War I, and a somewhat common mail, freight and passenger carrier by the 1920s and ’30s — but no monuments exist to the German count’s inaugural air voyage. That is, until now.
On Saturday, St. Paul novelist-turned-artist Nicole Mary Milligan was scheduled to put the finishing touches on “Uplift,” a new public art installation by Landmark Plaza, just east of Rice Park, featuring 200 to 300 colorful miniature hot air balloons on a 13-foot cedar wood scaffolding. The installation, which will remain downtown through August, is part of a series of “Streets of Summer” initiatives that aim to spruce up downtown with funding from the Knight Foundation, the St. Paul Downtown Alliance business coalition and private donors.
“We put 10 balloons in Friday, and just sat there for a minute in the car, and just saw people coming, children standing underneath it laughing, and young girls on Razor scooters riding under it and taking pictures,” Milligan said. “It’s just that color, and light, and that remembrance of childhood. It’s supposed to make you feel uplifted. I just keep coming back to this idea of poor Marian Ramsey, 10 years old, and her dad just chucks her into this thing.”
A public kickoff for the “Streets of Summer” effort was held Friday. Other parts of the initiative:
Daniela Bianchini, a mosaic artist and former downtown resident, is decorating 20 trash cans with themes evocative of their surroundings, such as a performing arts theme by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, or a library theme by the George Latimer Central Library.
During regular weekday work hours, a “street team” of five greeters will pick up litter and remove graffiti in the blocks around Central Station, Rice Park, Hamm Plaza and Landmark Plaza. The street team is organized by Block by Block, the same company that has employed official greeters in downtown Minneapolis’ Downtown Improvement District for roughly a decade.
The Block-by-Block street team is scrubbing downtown St. Paul clean of graffiti. James Wylie is the tall one so he’s the cleaner, jokes James J.B. Brown, who is the lead. “Some of these are aggressive to get off,” says Brown. pic.twitter.com/yZ1M2zugPu
— FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) June 14, 2019
Joe Spencer, president of the Downtown Alliance, said those efforts and others offer a taste of what could be accomplished if St. Paul organizes a Downtown Improvement District, as well. The districts take different forms in different cities, but generally rely on dues, taxes or assessments from business owners to fund ongoing downtown improvements, such as extra security and trash pickup.
David Kotsonas, manager of the St. Paul Growers Association/St. Paul Farmers Market, said as part of the “Streets of Summer” effort, flower sellers will eventually plant themselves at a couple locations downtown, though a cold spring has led to a delayed growing season.
“It just enhances everybody’s day, just a little,” Kotsonas said.