Stevens Square Community Organization: Life in the heart of Minneapolis

In 1989, Stevens Square received its historical designation due primarily to the number of three-and-a-half story brick apartment buildings: similar in size, character and materials, surrounding the park.  Today, many are renter occupied similar to the profile of the people who first lived in the neighborhood.  Therefore, the neighborhood character is demographically as well as physically very much the same as it was when it first took shape as a neighborhood of respectable apartment dwellings in the early 1900's.

There is a visual cohesiveness to Stevens Square neighborhood because of the uniformity of building style, height and materials used. As stated, nearly all the apartment buildings are three-and-a-half stories high and have a brown brick exterior. Most have contrasting limestone lintels, belt-coursing and columns flanking the main entrances. Broad cornices of tin and terra cotta prevail, most of which are in good repair. Stone quoining is used on a number of the buildings. Although substantial renovation has been performed on the interior of many of the buildings, the exteriors have been largely left untouched. Even the original double-hung windows remain, although most have been covered by aluminum combination storms and screens.

The Loring Heights area (west of LaSalle Avenue) differs from the Stevens Square part of the neighborhood in several ways. First, it is not as densely populated: the predominant architectural structures are single family homes, duplexes, townhomes, and mansions. Second, Loring Heights is home to several of the neighborhood's community based residential treatment facilities. Many professionals also make Loring Heights their base.  The Franklin Avenue corridor sits up on a ridge with a retaining wall along most of the avenue in the Loring Heights Sector.