Secrets of the City

What are you defining as “tiny”? There’s the Firefighter’s Hall and Museum near Edison HIgh on 22nd Ave NE.

Have you seen the Tetsumi Kudo show at the Walker? Because there are things strikingly similar to what you described in that very show.

Anything small, I suppose, but I especially like “museums” that take up one room or part of a hallway. A lot of business and social services organizations have them, and I always find them fascinating.

Haven’t been to the firefighter one yet. Plan to go soon.

That show looks great, justin.

This might not count, but my favorite museum experience was at the pioneer museum in Worthington. It’s populated by old weirdos and must have a solid 20 or 30 150+ year old buildings, all stuffed with old crap that nobody cares if you mess around with.

Religious art at the Thrivent building is actually really cool. Really tiny is the Historical whatnot of the old department store Young-Quinlan Building. retail stuff and building blueprints.

FWIW: the medical oddities at the Mayo in Rochester is now gone, but totally FTW. X-rays of guys with mashed hands and other farm accident lovelies.

There’s the Minnesota Streetcar Museum in that tiny building near Lake Harriet.

God do I miss the Mayo exhibit. I saw it as a kid and felt as scarred by it as the people they showed. Also, I both learned what a thresher is and why you should fear it.

There is a nice historical display at Regions Hospital, in the hallway leading to the cafeteria (and the neurology clinic).

we have some cool old historical photos in our building, too. Also, framed posters promoting Christmas Seals from the 1930s, in Norwegian.

Why? I have no idea, but they look cool.

Lots of buildings on the U of M campus have museum like displays. The displays in Pillsbury Hall are my favorites. (Fossils and what not.)

I don’t know of any others in the Twin Cities, but if you find yourself passing through Fargo, there’s the Roger Maris Museum at the West Acres Mall.

I’ll probably have an opportunity to check out the Regions display later this month Bob.

I have seen the Roger Maris musuem in West Acres!

I have never seen the laughably bad bio-pic about Maris, but heard the scenes of his boyhood in North Dakota’s pancake flat Red River Valley was filmed with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Ha!

Ulen, Minnesota has the Viking Sword Museum.

http://www.vikingswordmuseum.com/

But I don’t know who they’re trying to kid. That sword is probably post Civil War.

Although a little better-known than some of the museums mentioned, the Schbert Club Museum in the basement of the Landmark Center in St Paul is well worth a visit. They even let you play (almost all!) of the pianos.

Always mean to make it over to the Hennepin History Museum over by the MIA, but between its hours and mine, I never seem to have the time.

The Humphrey Forum at the Humphrey Institute at the U of M is a small museum dedicated to HH Humphrey. Sometimes they do other stuff in there too.

The Pavek Museum is fairly small, but is a treasure for fans of radio, TV, and broadcast history. A working theramin, too!

I used to work at the HCMC History Museum, and it’s a great little place with some amazing collections. A lot of their photos of the old General Hospital are online at the MN Digital Library.

Don’t know if this qualifies, but there’s a little museum-within-a-museum at the Science Museum – it has a small selection of artifacts from the old Museum of Questionable Medical Devices.

I invite everyone to my cubicle, where I have a drawer-sized Museum of Unused Condiment Packets.

I know there’s a broadcast museum somewhere in St. Louis Park. Anyone been there?

Kurtis–heh. Our office fridge had a similar collection but I threw it away and no one even noticed.

I inherited the MOUCP when I moved into this cubicle. I actually did toss it finally but decided to reprise it for a moment’s humor.

Since I just discovered a cache of hidden office supplies under the hanging files in my bottom desk drawer, I’m getting a kick out of this…