New Neon For 4Th Street Saloon, Revitalization Of West Broadway Marches Forward...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

Driving home tonight after weekend visitation with my 15-year-old son, I saw a red neon sign on the 4TH Street Saloon and wondered if my memory was playing tricks. Was the sign new? Had I really never noticed it before? It looked so natural in its placement I wondered if it had been there for years and yet I'd somehow missed it.

I pulled up in the parking lot and looked more closely at the sign. I saw a sticker showing work performed on December 13 of this year.

OK, I thought, SOMETHING happened recently.

I walked into Wings 'N' Things to ask if the sign was new.

Yes, they informed me, it went up a couple days ago.

Before I left, I also found out the folks at Wings 'N' Things are planning to offer some new rice dishes in the near future, and might even begin delivery.

The revitalization of West Broadway moves forward at an amazing pace.

To my blog readers: Please consider this red neon to be my blog putting out the Christmas lights. 

4th Street Saloon Mural Is Looking Good, All But Complete...

Photo, blog post by John Hoff

The long, slow progress on the 4th Street Saloon Mural continues. Though the mural, pictured above, looks complete it was reported back in January that the words "Welcome to North Minneapolis" will be added to the mural "in the spring."

Further, it was reported the completed mural will be dedicated to the victims of the North Minneapolis tornado. The first anniversary of the North Minneapolis tornado seems an appropriate date for that, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the words will be added around that time.

Note how lights above the mural illuminate the mural at night. Though progress on this mural has been slow, it's been well worth the wait.

4th Street Saloon Mural Progressing...

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

Even as the worn out mural on the nearby Kemps facility was painted over, a new mural began to a emerge not very far away on the side of the 4th Street Saloon.

The mural doesn't seem to be finished, quite yet, but looks like a great work in progress. Everybody looks forward to seeing the finished product.

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New Public Art In NoMi (And It Doesn't Even Make You Cringe And Clutch Your Purse!)

Contributed photo, xoxo, blog post by John Hoff

A new mural is taking shape on the side of the 4th Street Saloon Building, and--unlike a lot of other public art in North Minneapolis--it doesn't appear to be a cringe-inducing chaotic celebration of "urban dystopianism" with an overriding anarchistic graffiti motif, such as the...

..."distorted faces" banners which were foisted upon West Broadway by Juxtaposition Arts or (worse case artistic scenario) the "tripping cows" mural on the side of the Kemps Ice Cream factory. No, indeed, this mural appears to be something nice, something North Minneapolis can point to with pride. Johnny Northside Dot Com is excited to see how the mural will continue to take shape in the coming days and weeks.