Buildings of Broadway

The show is on. For those who are just visiting this blog, I'd like to explain exactly what are project "Building's of Broadway" is. It's a documentary that expands on the stories we have received over the past months about downtown Albert Lea. It's a collaboration of stories on the history of downtown throughout the years. Through the eyes of the residents, a glimpse of what downtown Albert Lea meant  to a community. At a time when there wasn't shopping malls or superstores, a downtown was the thriving heartbeat of shopping, eating, and night life. Everything was centrally located. With the idea of being a collection of stories, all the facts may approach the lines of fiction with the exact details of the history of downtown. But the idea is there, and it's captured in "Buildings of Broadway." Ideally the film is intended to be a conversation starter, with the ability to evolve and in means become a definitive history of downtown Albert Lea. With that said, it's been a pleasure to bring this project into fruition and see a great response from the community. I hope everyone enjoys the holidays (and come to the show!) I've enclosed photos from the film. Hope all will enjoy.

100 block of Broadway  

Broadway theatre in the 1940's 

 The Canton Cafe in the 1970's

 Colonel Albert Lea Days in the 1930's

Downtown Albert Lea, the 1940's

Show time

ABOUT time! All of the footage and photos are in for.....now. But we are gonna do this thing called "Buildings of Broadway." Tickets go on sale Dec. 15th. This has been an experience. My favorite aspect of this project was that when I'd be out and they knew who I was and said, "You should talk to this person..." and I would nod and smile. I knew I was on to something. I know that we aren't going to be able to cover everything that has happened downtown in 50 plus years in a 70-80 minute documentary. I am not a historian by any means, I'm just curious. The biggest fear of a project like this is that we didn't cover everything, but after stressing about it I'd rather have people engage it in their own way. The collection of stories that "Buildings of Broadway" has become, is only a starter that has no end in sight. And I like it. I can't pinpoint what came over me to wonder about downtown Albert Lea, but something did, and I'm glad it did. This is where I'm from. Plain and simple. "Buildings of Broadway," is a collection of stories of what downtown Albert Lea was, I had no idea as a child what downtown meant to meant to Albert Lea. Today which is a Friday, we filmed a car once owned by slugger Reggie Jackson cruising Broadway. To me, that's cool. People always ask me,"How you doing?' and I will always respond with "living the dream," and I can say that I am. "Buildings of Broadway" is living it's dream as well. Thank you all for checking out our blog, that is approaching 1000 hits. Thank you and remember to buy a ticket for the show. December 15th. Where? Coming soon.. Take care and hope all is well.

Buildings of Broadway

Crunch time

That time of the project is nearing in, crunch time. I knew it was inevitable, i knew it would be coming sooner than later, but when it finally rang the door bell I ran to the living room and hid under the couch.  In similar fashion you would when you see a stranger approach your front door with the obvious intent of trying to sell you something. I took a deep breathe and realized that if this project was going to get completed I'd have to get up from under the couch. After all, we have had some interesting interviews, and tours taken recently. We sat down with Arnold Stadheim, who is the owner of the Stadheim Jeweler franchise in the area. Mr. Stadheim was an interesting interview with his insight after being a longtime business man in the community. He actually started in the Freeborn National Bank building, I have a pic to show in this blog of him with the original jewelry stand that laid in the lobby of that building. The screw holes still lay in the tile of the vacant building. Another interesting portion of this project was done last monday. I took a tour and interview of the old opera house downtown, with the current building owner Suzanne Crane. That building is the red brick building that currently houses the Albert Lea Art Center. When it was built, it was built for a world renown opera singer named Beatrice, and her husband built this grand opera house and conservatory for her in little known Albert Lea, MN around the turn of the 19th century. The opera house is pretty far removed from what it once looked like, but the upstairs housing rooms for the traveling singers and performers still stands and emanates it's history. This opera house has an incredible romantic story to it, and in due time (aka "Buildings of Broadway") it's story will be shared. This piece in my opinion has incredible enduring value that many residents older as younger may not truly know about, with that being said I am glad that a project like ours is being made.
We are closing in on finishing the filming process, but as the editing becomes more of the concern I am confident the record button the camera will be turned on once again. As all projects go, you can plan for how you want the project to go, but the unforeseeable is what you have to manage. Patience is a virtue and perseverance is a necessity. Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween and be safe. Enjoy a few of the photos we received lately. Take care, and cheers.

This is Beatrice, the opera singer that the Rivioli/Art Center building was built for.

Although the auditorium is in a disarray, the projectionist room still houses the projector, and old film reels when the opera house turned into a movie theatre.

Here is Arnold Stadheim when his jewelry shop was in the lobby of the "Vault" building or also called the Freeborn National Bank Building.

Keep on keeping on....

Waking up this morning, just felt like it was going to be a great day. It's one of those days where you set the alarm the night before a half hour before you REALLY have to get out of bed. When you have the windows open and it's 57 degrees out and it's nice, cool breeze in your bedroom and you tighten the position with the warm body next to you to stay warm under the blanket as the cool air trickles in. Where you hit the snooze button because you can, and you don't want to leave the spot you've carved in your bed as the sun is coming through the windows. As that sun awakens you with the random interruptions from the alarm clock, something comes across your half asleep train of thought, that this just might be one of those days you are going to enjoy. Today is like that. In actuality, this whole paragraph is a metaphor for how this project is panning out. This week has been a busy one, and the next will be the same, but it is for the better to be busy. This community has been incredible. Only on a rare day lately do I go out in public and NOT have somebody talk to me about downtown Albert Lea. Almost every shift I work during my full time job, somebody new shares a story, an idea, or "you should talk to this person," etc. And it's unprovoked. Which makes me smile on the inside and out.  For almost eight months I have only had less then a handful of detractors about this project, (there may be more out there, and they are entitled to their opinions.) But those detractors are like that cool morning breeze coming through the window in the morning, and the only response is to hold that warm body even closer, and hit the snooze button.

Ryan and I have been shooting interviews as much as we possibly can. The people that we have met on camera and off, have been amazing. I always believe that everyone has a story, and they not only have a story but also have been giving us materials to use for our project. Outstanding. During one interview with Russ and Phiz Olson especially, not only a great interview, but we were given a legal pad 15 pages deep with names of everything that was downtown over the years. Above and beyond what we ever were asking for, just incredible. I had an interview with Bob Sullivan, who used to own Sullivan Paint downtown, and the business had been in the family for years. Bob and his wife are two of the nicest people I have met, as is Russ and Phiz. Both of these couples were gracious enough to let us into their homes, and not only conduct an interview, but yet again the Sullivan's had pictures and literature waiting for me. All I wanted was an interview and again we get pleasantly surprised by how above and beyond our interviewees go. We also interviewed Butch Donovan, and all you Albert Lean's out there would appreciate this as he was once the owner of Jake's Pizza. Butch's Special, is named after him. The infamous taco pizza was his creation, and if anyone that knows me would agree that I have spent a small fortune on the taco pizza. Thanks Butch, haha!! He was a great interview and a very nice man. It seems as this project continues to progress, the old saying of "Minnesota Nice," plays. Everybody needs to find that project with a cool breeze and a warm body to hold. I've found mine. Check out these photos, I hope all is doing well and until next time, keep living the dream.

Mr. Bob Sullivan getting filmed for "Buildings of Broadway."

Sullivan Paint circa the 1930's.

The originator of Sullivan Paint Store. This is his flyer for running for sheriff in 1914, he ultimately lost.

Sullivan Paint used to sell "The Minneapolis Journal," which was a newspaper. One of the only places to get it back in the early 1900's.

This is Butch. One of my favorites, and not because he was the originator of one of my addictions, Jake's taco pizza. Thanks Butch.

The buzz is there

This week has been filled with interesting events. But the word is out now as we made the paper last Friday. The buzz has been great. The community response has been nothing but positive. And we thank you. It's still pushing forward, but its an undertaking that I didn't exactly anticipate that requires this amount of effort. But with such the positive support we are receiving, it is worth the time. There are so many elements to this project that most people spectating do not understand that we have to go through, and I don't mean that in a way that is a complaint. If I could be paid to do this and quit my full time job I would hands down. Through scheduling interviews, holding interviews, fielding emails, processing and editing the footage, etc. etc. But you only live once. And even though I'm pressed for time, I've found something that I enjoy doing. We have had great interviews. Russ and Phiz Olson were a great interview last week. Mike Dorman, the owner of the Sportman's downtown AL was incredibly insightful. We continue to look for information and stories, and it keeps coming at us, better and better. I was up in the Twin Cities last week to connect with the musicians who are providing the soundtrack for this film. It's a project that continues to evolve day by day. So for Ryan Heath and myself we would like to sincerely thank everyone for their support. As we push further we want to show some photos we uncovered last week.

This photo is the old public library. Notice the church where the Aragon now resides.

This is the old high school. This view is from Central Park. 

Fountain Street, circa the 1930's.

This is Lakeview Blvd. Monkey island is on the right, and Lakeview elementary would be on the left today.

The courthouse, with Hotel Albert next to it.

Progress being made

 Mike Behrends and Jon Klocek working on a few songs for our film.

I may be smiling but I was crapping my pants during this photo from the downtown water tower in Albert Lea.

I didn't make this climb, but Ryan Heath did. That vertical latter is what you had to climb to get to the very top of the water tower. Note that you are already ten stories up and their is no railing. As you can imagine I stayed away from that climb. 

It's a different and difficult task that you have to go through when you are not being paid to produce a project that is trying to serve the community purpose and in turn trying to market it within the community. With that being said we have also had to coordinate this project around two full time jobs that have no connection to this project. With that being said progress has been made, and it continues to move forward. This week seems to be the most fulfilling as of yet. We have musicians that are helping with putting down some great tracks, great shots of downtown and more interviews with thankfully kind and informative locals that are willing to take the time to sit down with us. The most exciting portions of this week will entail a Albert Lea Tribune tag along interview, a trip up the downtown water tower to shoot some footage, and inside look at one of the second floors of a building downtown. My personal favorite portion of this project will be working with the musicians this week and the music that they will be working with it. This project keeps moving forward and the slated holiday release time will be made with a little luck and a ton of work.

Finding Funds

After a long time waiting we finally did get funded. It was a straining five month process which in turn we ended up going a different direction to find funds. Our original plan was applying through the state of Minnesota, through the Minnesota State Historical Society. By no means am I trying to knock that process, they have a wonderful grant called the Legacy Grant. This grant is what we applied for and is designed to enrich various communities around Minnesota. It supports projects throughout the state, crucial to the various communities that are distant from the Metro areas. We applied twice for this grant and both times were told to resubmit with certain areas to be revised for the ACTUAL format and not the ACTUAL idea of the project. We were told the project was "worthy" but because of a few i's and t's not being crossed in a specific manner we were never able to attain the grant. I always believe that these types of funding is a necessity for people and organizations that are trying seek funds to provide valuable projects for their communities. I also understand the process comes with an intensive scrutiny when evaluating projects and meriting distributing funds. But I am pretty impatient when it comes to things I want, or information I'd like to know. Those closet to me know this, and if the state wants to overanalyze the requests to use their checkbook, then that is their business. One day after they told us to resubmit I spoke with Ryan and said let's go elsewhere for funds. Nine days later we had a check to go ahead with the project. Anyone seeking grant money be sure to prepare months of time waiting to know if you are even going to receive the money. Maybe others are a little more patient in those types of matters, but I'm not, and we did what we had to do and now we are off and running...........

Sorry for the rant. It's just been a headache for five months that finally got fixed. We have come across some interesting things that are coming here in the next week. We have a roundtable conversation being held at Thornecrest Senior Center here on Wednesday. Plain and simple we will be letting our cameras roll. We have been told that the older generation there have some great stories about downtown Albert Lea. I'd like to say it'll be easy as just pushing record but I understand it'll be a little different from that. Although once we get this crowd talking about their experiences we may not have enough space in our memory cards to record it all, or at least that would be an ideal situation. It also sounds like the Albert Lea Tribune is doing a follow up story and coming with us to the senior center, which is exciting to get some local press on our project.

We also have lined up time to meet with the current architect of the once, Freeborn National Bank building, some call it The Vault. It's the big vacant building next to Brick Furniture and Stadheim Jewelers. Our cameras took a tour earlier this week and, since never being in the building, I found it to be quite interesting. It'll be even more interesting to hear what the architect will have to say about the structures of the building. I'm a little bit of a history dork, so it may be more interesting to me, but the way it'll be presented I'm sure plenty of people will find it interesting.

We have a large project load ahead of us, but we continue to chip away. I am humbled by the response so far, getting stopped out in public to talk or at work. The emails we receive and the stories they reveal have all been inspiring. This community response makes all of this worth it to keep pressing on with this project. With that being said we thank you. Hope all is well and more to come soon.

After five months in financing limbo, we were able to celebrate.  

This is the Freeborn National Bank building, also known as The Vault. The building was built in 1920. And it lays completely vacant. It use to house a bank, medical offices and apartment buildings. 

At the end of February we sat down at the bar over a drink and memories.  What was created was an idea, and this idea has been griping us for almost six months now. With perseverance and patience the documentary that we had envisioned is now going to be created. Buildings of Broadway has been officially given the green light. (whew). The process of trying to find financing has been trying, and exhausting. It's also something that has caused a few headaches and let's just say a few words that may offend some people. But with that said, as do much in all of life, sometimes you just need to wait it out and catch the opportunity when it arrives. Throughout it all though we have been continuing on with the project the best way we can. It's been an exciting time listening and reading stories of various people about their memories of downtown Albert Lea.  And quite frankly it's the positive response that this project is getting that has kept us believing that this is a project worth the continuous  pursuit. I could get winded about what the project is, but I think I'll just try to sum it up briefly.

Buildings of Broadway

1) It's a documentary, pertaining specifically downtown Albert Lea, with Broadway being a primary focus.
2) The focus is to provide a historical look at what businesses used to be in these buildings, and a current focus on what is currently occupying them now.
3) We have long time residents who are willing to allow us to put them on camera, having them explain what downtown Albert Lea had been throughout the years.
4) We are also using photos and history we have researched about these buildings in the film. From buildings that are no longer there, to the ones that have been vacant for years, to the businesses that remain to the ones that are long gone.
5) Plenty of these buildings have levels in them where businesses just packed up and left, but left plenty of their remains to tell the stories that they hold. You will know what I mean when you see some of the photos in this post.

This post is just the beginning. It's really only to try to explain what this project is all about. With all the interviews, building explorations, photos and randomness this project will promise to produce all the other posts will become an interest in coming back to see the next post. As this project continues to captivate us. Enjoy the photos, and wish us luck. Because we got the money now, barely have the time, but luck will push this over the top. Hope all is well friends...... the next blog will describe the brutality of trying to submit a grant for state money. HAHAHA. and HAHAHA. What?! Yeah you'll know soon. Cheers.

 These two photos are above Christian and Peterson law offices. 

Still trying to find out what this saloon was called.

 Brick Furniture resides in the department store that started as the company on the next picture. This original billboard is hard to see from the street, but they were the original department store.

 Skinner was one of the first department stores in the country to have an escalator. 

This is located in a very familiar back alley downtown Albert Lea. Anybody have an idea where.

Keep checking back, trust me there is plenty more...........