Let this sign be your guide. Should you be trying to go shopping at Freeman's, that is, this is where you should be parking. You may face a small challenge, however, in that Freeman's no longer exists. Instead, this sign is on the back of what's referred to as the Coliseum Building.
The store opened in 1917 and survived until 1975. Which means I'm not nearly old enough (okay, maybe nearly, but still) to remember when it actually existed. It's near the intersection of E. Lake St. and Minnehaha Ave., which apparently used to both be an intersection of streetcar lines and a home to no fewer than five department stores. Here's what the place looked like in around 1920.
In my head, I remember dropping my brother off for a Bad Company concert in this building shortly after getting my drivers' license. If there's any validity to that memory, it was probably due to the ball room. There are ongoing plans for redevelopment and refurbishment of this historic building.
There is no word whether the proprietors are related to Hennepin County Attorney (and former gubernatorial candidate) Mike Freeman, or his father, former Minnesota governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Orville Freeman.
Old signs
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