Mark Nicklawske, Author at Perfect Duluth Day

Rebuilt Civil War veteran’s house part of historic properties tour

Sep 15, 2023 No Comments

Diane and Steve Dick stand outside their renovated home on 43rd Avenue East and London Road. The home was built in 1889 by Civil War veteran John Mallman and will be featured on the Duluth Preservation Alliance Historic Properties Tour this Sunday. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)

A long abandoned duplex in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood was a complete wreck that showed no sign of its historic past when Steve and Diane Dick purchased it. Their simple renovation plan was to make room for an aging parent and host regular gatherings with their children and grandchildren.

Eight years on, the project has accomplished all the necessary family duties and more. The house stands out among its stately London Road neighbors and keeps an important piece of history alive: its original owners were Civil War veteran and early mining-exploration Captain John Mallman and his wife Catherine.

New restaurant to offer salads, soups and mystical gifts

Sep 07, 2023 No Comments

Cori Zastera, left, and her husband Jason, stand in front of the Ritual Salad location at 1802 W. Superior St. in Lincoln Park. The new restaurant is scheduled to open in October. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske).

A new fast-casual restaurant featuring healthy salads and soups is scheduled to open this fall in Lincoln Park as the booming neighborhood sees redevelopment push east along Superior Street toward Garfield Avenue.

News and Current Affairs, Restaurants Lincoln Park Craft District

State fast-tracks funds for I-35 pedestrian bridge in Lincoln Park

Jul 29, 2023 1 Comment

A cyclist travels over I-35 on the Lincoln Park pedestrian bridge last week. The bridge has been targeted for replacement by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A longstanding I-35 pedestrian bridge that connects Lincoln Park to its working waterfront and serves two well-traveled trail systems through the city has been fast tracked for replacement by state officials.

News and Current Affairs Lincoln Park Neighborhood / The Friendly West End, Transportation

Duluth’s historic Wirth building gets facelift

Jul 23, 2023 No Comments

The historic Wirth building, 13 W. Superior St., at left, received a major facelift this month. Owners said more than 30 splaying limestone blocks were replaced or repaired. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske).

A historic architectural gem in Duluth received a major facelift this month as crews repaired the aging facade of the city’s first pharmacy — a building that now serves as home to a couple that pioneered downtown living in the 1990s.

History Architecture

Round-up Bar and Grill plans new patio space

Jun 15, 2023 No Comments

Round-up Bar and Grill owner Mike Ronning stands outside the site of a new side patio. Landscaping, furniture, games and a small stage will be built on the site of the former Fine Frog Emporium. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A longstanding Duluth bar known for its family-owned roots and connection to country music will add a new outdoor patio after an adjacent antique store was condemned and torn down earlier this year.

The Round-up Bar and Grill, 415 E. Fourth St., will construct space for outdoor dining and bar service along with a small stage on the east side of its building this summer. Fencing and signage have already been assembled and final landscaping work, lighting and furniture installation is expected to take place in the next few weeks.

News and Current Affairs, Restaurants Bars / Drinking Establishments, Central Hillside

Lincoln Park building renovation unearths 1893 newspapers, Buffalo Bill history

May 13, 2023 1 Comment

Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants co-owner Louis Hanson looks over a newspaper from 1893. The business is renovating the former Duluth Press building and discovered dozens of newspapers in the floorboards. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)

Buffalo Bill Cody has been buried under the floorboards of a historic Duluth building for 130 years.

Owners of a Lincoln Park business recently discovered a variety of 19th century newspapers inside a building financed by the legendary wild west star and used by his sister to operate a weekly news publication. The treasure trove turned up during major building renovations this winter.

History, News and Current Affairs Buffalo Bill Cody, Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants, Helen Cody Wetmore

Edgewater Resort and Waterpark taking down abandoned wing

Apr 23, 2023 4 Comments

The Edgewater Resort and Waterpark will be tearing down a portion of its complex that served as its main motel for decades. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)

A long-running and ever-changing Duluth hotel will tear down the oldest part of its sprawling complex as owners begin work on a new renovation plan for the Endion neighborhood tourist destination.

The Edgewater Resort and Waterpark, 2400 London Road, started demolition work this month on a vacant, two-story wing that was constructed in 1965 and served as the Edgewater Motel for decades. The Edgewater Resort and its adjacent waterpark will remain open during the project.

News and Current Affairs Edgewater Hotel & Waterpark, Hotels - Motels - Resorts - Hostels - Lodging

Timber structure washes up near Lakewalk

Apr 15, 2023 No Comments

A large timber structure has washed up on the Lake Superior shoreline just west of the Beacon Pointe condominium and hotel complex. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Another large timber structure has washed up on the Lake Superior shoreline just west of the Beacon Pointe condominium and hotel complex.

The structure appeared on the shoreline below the Duluth Lakewalk trail following an April 4 snow and wind storm. It is made up of 12 x 12 timbers, metal cables and bolts and looks to be the size of Chevrolet Silverado crew cab pick-up truck.

News and Current Affairs Lake Superior, Weird

Duluth Grill group plans new Lincoln Park burger bar

Feb 25, 2023 1 Comment

The Duluth Grill Family Restaurant Group will take over operations at the former Coach’s Bar and Grill, 2113 W. Superior St. The new restaurant will be called Burger Paradox. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske).

A popular Lincoln Park restaurant group is adding another bar and grill to its neighborhood food empire.

Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants co-owner Tom Hanson said this week his organization has secured a 10-year lease on the longtime home of Mitch’s Bar and Grill, 2113 W. Superior St. The site was most recently home to the short-lived Coach’s Bar & Grill.

News and Current Affairs, Restaurants Lincoln Park Craft District, Lincoln Park Neighborhood / The Friendly West End

West Duluth theater project moves forward, seeks city loan

Jan 29, 2023 4 Comments

The Alhambra Theater sits just to the east of the West Theatre on Central Avenue in West Duluth (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)

A long-lost vaudeville theater renovation gained ground this week when city officials authorized grant money to fund a business loan for the West Duluth entertainment district project.

The Duluth Economic Development Authority approved a $150,000 grant Jan. 25 to the city of Duluth 1200 Fund for restoration work at the Alhambra Theater, 321 N. Central Ave. The move allows the 1200 Fund to loan building owner Paladin Properties LLC a total of $200,000 for project completion.

News and Current Affairs West and Alhambra Theaters, West Duluth

Miller Hill Mall Perkins leads list of 2022 restaurant closings

Dec 27, 2022 No Comments

The Miller Hill Mall Perkins closed in March after 37 years of service. The national chain still operates at two other Duluth sites. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

Restaurants come and go all the time but some seem like they will be around forever. The Miller Hill Mall Perkins is a perfect example. The naugahyde booths, chrome-plated tables, gigantic breakfast menu and sweet pies made each visit feel like the one before — like eating in a time machine that would never end.

But then it did end.

News and Current Affairs, R.I.P., Restaurants

Globe News, landmark store in Superior, changing ownership

Dec 14, 2022 1 Comment

Globe News owner Tom Unterberger, left, has sold his store to a new ownership group led by longtime customer Jon Fritsche of Poplar. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske)

A landmark Superior collectible store — along with its iconic sign — has been sold to new owners who plan to maintain all its nostalgic charm.

Globe News owner Tom Unterberger announced last week that he has sold the historic building at Tower Avenue and Belknap Street along with all its contents to a partnership group headed by a longtime customer. Unterberger and his wife, Jill, purchased the building with the help of his parents in 1982 and slowly converted its corner newsstand into a retail store filled with books, music, trading cards and a wide variety of vintage gifts.

News and Current Affairs Superior

Loiselle Liquor ends 88-year run; new owners plan name change

Dec 06, 2022 1 Comment

Loiselle Liquor Store, 413 E. Fourth St., was owned and operated by the Loiselle family for 88 years. (Photo by Mark Nicklawske).

The oldest liquor store in Duluth has changed hands and will take on a new name for the first time in nearly nine decades.

Loiselle Liquor Store, 413 E. Fourth St., was sold by the Loiselle family this spring to Matthew Krueger and Katherine Eagle of Cloquet. St. Louis County property tax records showed the sale price at $360,000 for the two-story building — which was constructed in 1893 as the Goering Block.

News and Current Affairs Bars / Drinking Establishments, Central Hillside

Duluth Grill makes big Lincoln Park land moves

Oct 27, 2022 No Comments

Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants co-owner Tom Hanson stands atop OMC Smokehouse. The former Kemps Dairy property and new parking lot are in the background. (Photos by Mark Nicklawske)

A popular Duluth restaurant group has acquired the largest piece of open land in the Lincoln Park business district and plans to build apartments, a parking garage and new street-level business space on the property — similar to plans announced by its previous owner.

The purchase is part of several big land moves revolving around the Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants.

News and Current Affairs, Restaurants Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants, Lincoln Park Craft District, Lincoln Park Neighborhood / The Friendly West End

Mid-century modern work highlighted in Duluth home tour

Sep 15, 2022 No Comments

The Hart House at 1545 Skyline Drive soon after construction was completed in 1952. The Chester Bowl ski jump can be seen in the background to the left of the house. (Photo courtesy of Aethan Hart)

The legendary Frank Lloyd Wright may not have been the architect but his influence is all over a striking little house tucked into a wooded lot just around the bend from Chester Park.

Known as the Hart house, the property at 1545 Skyline Parkway will be one of six featured homes in the 2022 Duluth Preservation Alliance Historic Properties Tour beginning at 11 am Sunday, Sept. 18. The annual event allows ticket holders to roam around inside some of the most beautiful homes in the city, this year featuring a collection of unusual mid-century modern works.