We are a grassroots organization, dedicated to the preservation of Dinkytown's History and Character.

OUR GOAL

We need your help to preserve your Dinkytown! The goal is to create an archive to be submitted to the state, generate public interest and present a series of events displaying your materials (with your permission, of course).  

The possibilities for the future are endless, and together we can make the future of Dinkytown endless as well.

WE ARE A 501 (C) (3) NON-PROFIT CORPORATION

Our partners are so vital to our success. The donation of their time and resources have been invaluable to our mission.

Board of Trustees

Jan Hedvik Morse,

Chair

My first journey to Dinkytown was in 1969. I planned to stop by the Registrar's office to enroll for fall quarter, but ended up joining a rather large anti-war protest that was in process. The protesters were going across the Washington Avenue bridge, and left onto the West River Road. At some point I needed to get back to Morrill Hall but by the time I returned, the building was closed. I spent many happy hours over the years sitting at the counter of Al's Breakfast, sipping coffee at Espresso Royale, and browsing for hours in Dinkytown's many wonderful bookstores. I later moved to the Como neighborhood and, in 1992, to Marcy-Holmes.

LAURI SAVRAN

treasurer

I began my time in Dinkytown when I started at the University in 1962.  I commuted from my parents’ home in St. Louis Park but spent all my time hanging out at the book stores (Perine’s, McCosh), Bridgeman's and of course Al's Breakfast.  I lived for one year in Dinkytown which got me to become a total counter culture hippy/beatnik and I still qualify for those lifestyles.  I married Bill Savran and worked at Savran’s on the west bank. Later I encouraged Bill to hire my friend Marly Rusoff who started Savran Rusoff in Dinkytown and that is where the Loft began.  

Carol Roos

Secretary/Preserve Historic Dinkytown Archivist

I became acquainted with Dinkytown as I studied at the University of Minnesota in the early 1970’s, where I received a B.A. in American Studies. A favorite lunch spot was Vescio’s, and when I needed my shoes or sandals fixed, I would bring them to Campus Cobbler. My local pharmacy was Gray’s Drug Store. In 1994, I moved into Marcy Holmes. I spent many years celebrating the winter solstice at Shuang Cheng, a wonderful Chinese restaurant on 4th Street. Aronne Fraser Library has been a great place to read, use the computer, and sit outside in the summer. Dinkytown has been a large part of my life. It’s my little town where I shop, read, and enjoy the new stores.

Nor Hall

Chair of Dinkytown Archives Committee

In 1971, I stepped onto an old, remodeled bus in Santa Cruz, New Mexico, and  traveled with Dinkytown Episcopal Center priest Bill Teska and three musicians to the Twin Cities , "the spiritual center of the universe." The mission was a tour of communal living and monastic life. The first life-changing place I landed was Marly Rusoff's bookstore. I made friends, led a class in the newly formed Loft Literary Center, and taught at a Free School class near 14th and 4th Street. Those invaluable connections jumpstarted my future as an author and psychotherapist, and led to my role as community archivist for  Preserving Historic Dinkytown.

Ossian Or

FILMMAKER

I first came to Dinkytown as a high school senior in 1964. Following in the vapor trail of Bob Dylan I took guitar lessons at the Podium, directly across the street from the Scholar coffee house. My instructor was Gene Uphoff, who was one of the Minnesota 6 "freedom riders" and went down to Mississippi to integrate bus depots in 1961. After high school graduation I worked for the Great Northern Railroad for about nine months to save money to go to Europe. I frequently worked at the Union Yard on the edge of Dinkytown. The ambiance of Dinkytown that I absorbed was an essential part of who I became. 

BARBARA CAMM

Co-Chair Emeritus

I probably fell in love with Dinkytown when I was a senior at the University of Minnesota. I lived in what is now called Marcy-Holmes, but what I really wanted was to be a Dinkytowner, part of that close community of poets, architects, musicians, and intellectuals. I hung out at Bridgeman’s and made friends who lived the storied life I envied. I got my hair cut at Robinson’s, shopped at the Dirty Grocery, bought vinyl at Discount Records, and had breakfast at Al’s. Dinkytown was the starting point when I carried a sign that said, “Stop This War Now!” and walked to the Capital in St. Paul in the 60s. It was where we rebelled against the Red Barn during the Dinkytown Uprising in 1970 and set up the People’s Park. I can still see it in my mind’s eye.

Kathleen Reilly

Past Chair

The 60s were a time of social change, and I was part of civil rights' and women's rights' movements. I was involved in both the West Bank and Dinkytown culture and music scenes. My first date with my future husband was at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. I have lived in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood for almost 50 years. I have been involved with advocacy throughout my lifetime. I was the Chair of the Committee to Save the Southeast Library, now the Arvonne Frasier Library in Dinkytown. I served as the Chair of Preserve Historic Dinkytown (PHD) for 6 years. I'm also active in neighborhood programs like the new East Bank Neighborhood Association and Southeast Seniors. 

Ardes Johnson

Past Secretary

The 60s were a time of social change, and I was part of civil rights' and women's rights' movements. I was involved in both the West Bank and Dinkytown culture and music scenes. My first date with my future husband was at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. I have lived in the Marcy Holmes neighborhood for almost 50 years. I have been involved with advocacy throughout my lifetime. I was the Chair of the Committee to Save the Southeast Library, now the Arvonne Frasier Library in Dinkytown. I served as the Chair of Preserve Historic Dinkytown (PHD) for 6 years. I'm also active in neighborhood programs like the new East Bank Neighborhood Association and Southeast Seniors. 

Erich Wunderlich

My first awareness of Dinkytown was in the mid-70s as a high schooler, one of only a couple of go-to destinations on visits to the Cities. This was, I believe, during the Dinkytown USA days, which had a great vibe for someone steeped young in the counter-culture of the 60s. I moved to Minneapolis in the early 80s. Dinkytown was a regular destination for food, books, bike parts, music, and stereo equipment. I’ve been engaged in advocacy around affordable housing, policing, and education. I founded and worked with a number of community based non-profits, as well as long-term board level service for an established affordable housing developer and board chair for a Minneapolis charter school.

Bill Huntzicker

My greatest contribution to the neighborhood was chairing a committee for the expansion of Holmes Park to fill two blocks, making possible the subsequent construction of the Marcy School on the site. I wrote a book about Dinkytown called "Dinkytown: Four Blocks of History." I'm collecting information on the Varsity Theatre to apply for historic designation. My main interest is in the history of mass media and have contributed ten chapters to books on the subject. Linda and I raised two children in the home we built in the neighborhood in 1974.

Rusell Belk

I grew up going to the University of Minnesota dentist, visiting Dinkytown with my older sister's friend, who painted the murals on the interior of the original Ten O'Clock Scholar. I graduated in 1974 after a seven-year self-imposed program.  Art History was my major.  I was active in campus politics, which from extended from Jack Baker to Mark Yudoff. Two of my children have post-graduate degrees from the U of M. Dinkytown has been on my "beat" for decades.  It needs TLC and broad involvement to survive this next decade.

Bob Zeller

My earliest Dinkytown experience was when I was five years old and Uncle George Berget, who was Bridgeman’s general manager, treated me to chocolate malts. Then we would stroll into the neighborhood, sometimes into University of Minnesota campus past Northrop Auditorium and Coffman Student Union. During the counter-culture, I could be found seated at the counter in Gray's Drug Store, fountain or at Vescio's eating one-dollar-a-plate spaghetti. I had chats with bookstore owner Melvin McCosh, introduced surreal movies in Varsity Theater, and taught courses in the University’s experimental Living-Learning Center University Avenue.  I connected with East Bank denizens and Scholar Coffee Shop beatniks. Later I taught cinema and was a debate coach Augsburg College.

Larry Crawford

I made my first visit to the bookstores, Gray's, and other businesses around Dinkytown sometime around 1970.  While studying at the University, I lived nearby on 4th Street SE, in Prospect Park, and in the Como neighborhood. My wife Claudia and I have been parents and homeowners in Como since the late 70s while carrying on careers in technology and education. I’ve been engaged in many Como neighborhood activities and issues such as preservation, local history, the Como Grand Rounds parkway, and housing. Along with other Como neighbors and City volunteers, I help lead the Como Community Center project to restore and reuse Como's historic Congregational building.

Founders

Robert Zeller

Producer of Our Journey, a counter-cultural chronicle.
Co-founder of Cold Shot, an American “alternative” media company.

Barbara Camm

Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association Land Use Committee.
Anti-war movement and Bridgeman Ice Cream Parlor/MCosh Bookstore Sit-in.
Videographer.

David Noble, PhD

Emeritus Professor of American Studies, University of Minnesota.
Author of ten books exploring American counter-culture.

Connie Goldman

Former NPR producer, show host and network announcer.
Author of six books on aging and care-giving.

ADVISORY COMMITEE

Special Thanks

University of Minnesota Archives

A great thanks to Cecily Marcus at the U of M Archives for her wealth of expertise.

The Upper Midwest Literary Archives and the Performing Arts Archives at the U of M is also the home of the Twin Cities Folk Archive, a new collection that traces folk/counterculture through the video recordings of Pop Wagner and Adam Grander’s long-running public access TV program Cedar Social, the papers of the New Riverside Cafe, the archives of Red House Records, and we hope, the Dinkytown Archives.

Minnesota Historical Society

We thank Patrick Coleman and Lori Williamson for their advisory and resource-based support.

The Book House in Dinkytown

Big thanks to The Book House for acting as Head Quarters to the cause and for playing the role as gatekeeper in Dinkytown for over 30 years.

Varsity Theatre

Thank you to Varsity Theatre for your originality, artistry, and “Elegance in Imagination.”

Loring Pasta Bar

Resounding thanks to the Loring Pasta bar for hosting our monthly lunches and subsequent total sensory satisfaction.

Kilmer Design

Volunteer Graphic and Web Design

COSMIC UMBRELLA

Additional Technical and Web Work