Not The Tiny Sarcastic One

Continuing in what maybe used to be the music district (if there ever was such a thing), we have this sign for Dahl Violin Shop. It's still there, although it doesn't seem to have a webpage. That's fitting for a store that is upstairs in an ancient building downtown. I don't know if it qualifies for "cool old building" architecturally, but it's an interesting block, right next to where the Nicollet was supposed to be. One internet commentator says Matthias Dahl was a famous Finnish violin maker, and apparently he made shoes in the old country before focusing on violins in Minneapolis in 1912. What a fascinating life story.

Here are a few other shots from Flickr. Black and white definitely seems like an appropriate artistic choice.

Looks Better Than Bolero

Perhaps it's not fair to state it this way, but this one seems to be another victim of the planned Nicollet condos. It's Maurice Ravel's "Gaspard de la Nuit" on the side of what used to be the downtown headquarters of Schmitt Music. The company dates to 1896, although this mural was painted in the 1970s. Today the building is an apparently empty sales office for the condos, but I remember going to the old store with my music-teacher parents when I was a kid. In my child's memory it was maze-like and chocked full of sheet music, instruments and accessories.

These days you need a memory that stretches back a few years to know what used to be here at 88 S. 10th St.