Commonwealth Avenue Tours

With different names over the past 140 years, Commonwealth Avenue has stretched from Snelling Avenue on the east to Hillside at its southwest end, crossing the Fairgrounds and the University campus before entering St. Paul at Cleveland. We will concentrate on the St. Paul stretch of the street, which offers some very old and some relatively new houses, a few institutional structures, the sites of important “lost” buildings, and quite a few interesting residents.

• Thursday, May 18, 10:30-12:30

• Saturday, May 20, 10:30-12:30

• Tuesday, May 23, 6:00-8:00

The tour starts at the corner of Commonwealth and Cleveland, and we will walk west on Commonwealth until it ends at Hillside. This is approximately seven blocks of walking, covering about three quarters of a mile. There is one significant hill between Como and Keston. The tour is not a loop.

The tours are designed for walking and biking from site to site, but folks with mobility issues are welcome to follow along in their vehicles.

Reservations are required. Tours are limited to 30 participants.

There is a suggested donation of $10 per person, collected at the time of the tour, to help cover tour costs. At the moment, I will accept cash and checks, but onsite credit card payments might be possible in the future.

Bring your own earbuds (standard audio jack only) or pick up a colorful (and reusable!) set from me for $1.00. Dress for the weather: don’t forget sunscreen, your water bottle, and whatever conditions demand--an umbrella, a hat, a jacket, some gloves.

Tours will run showers or shine--unless the rain is heavy, includes lightning and thunder, hail, high winds, or tornadoes. Every effort will be made to reschedule a postponed tour within a day or two, and/or to accommodate people on an upcoming tour on the same topic. Cancelation or postponement decisions will be made approximately one hour before the tour. They will be announced at this webpage and through emails to registered participants.

Reserve a space for one of these Commonwealth tours by sending an email to kristin.km@gmail.com. Be sure to specify the tour topic and date you are requesting.

• Thursday, May 18, 10:30-12:30

• Saturday, May 20, 10:30-12:30

• Tuesday, May 23, 6:00-8:00