Minneapolis really, really, really, really, REALLY loves two things dearly: Its parks and the arts. So it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of artistic endeavors and other activities happening in Minneapolis parks this summer. First is Ideawerks. Since 2003, the Institute of Production and Recording (IPR) has facilitated a music recording studio in the Powderhorn Recreation Center. The studio has provided a number of neighborhood youth access to equipment so they could learn to... Read Full Story

Sunday blog posts here at Barker & Hedges cast a spotlight on remarkable houses in the Unique Home of the Week feature. This Sunday, the subject is a beautiful home 1988. Now, many of the homes we’ve highlighted have had interesting architectural appearances. This 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom house is easily categorized as Mediterranean style architecture, which we learned about a few weeks ago. It has exquisite details and floor to ceiling windows that provide views of its more than 1 ac... Read Full Story

Italian Palladianism is a philosophy of design based on the writings and work of Andrea Palladio. Andrea Palladio, born in Italy in 1508, was a Venetian architect. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential architect in the history of Western architecture. He himself was influenced by Roman and Greek design. He started out in life as a stone mason, but he began studying architecture in the 1550s. Powerful friends and associates of his introduced him to Venice, where he became &... Read Full Story

This is the Gold Medal Flour mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During 1866, Cadwallader C. Washburn entered the milling business, building a flour mill on the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls. The mill was a 6-story stone structure, with 12 pairs of millstones that had a daily capacity of 840 barrels.  Gold Medal received its name on June 8, 1880, when the Washburn Crosby Company won the gold, silver and bronze medals on the three grades of spring wheat processed flour at the first Inte... Read Full Story

Barker & Hedges Sunday posts highlight extraordinary houses in the Unique Home of the Week feature. This week focuses on a exceptional dwelling built in 1995. This 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom house is located within The Wilds development of Prior Lake. Sitting on almost a full acre, this spacious home has more than 9,000 square feet to offer. Are you a fan of the fairway? This gem is located right on the Wilds Golf Course. Take in panoramic views of the 8th hole in walls of windows. And I have... Read Full Story

Neo-Mediterranean is a Neoeclectic style that mixes aspects of Spanish, Italian, Greek, and Moroccan architecture with contemporary North American ideas. Neo-Mediterranean houses are often called Mediterranean or Spanish Style. Some common features of a Neo-Mediterranean house are a low-pitched roof, red roof tiles, stucco siding, arches above doors, windows, or porches, and heavy carved wooden doors. A Neo-Mediterranean home may resemble the Spanish Revival style, but these homes are not rec... Read Full Story

The Washburn “A” Mill was the second-largest flour mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The original mill was built in 1874 by Cadwallader C. Washburn. At the peak of the mill’s production, it could grind over 100 boxcars of wheat into almost 2,000,000 pounds of flour per day. Along with the Pillsbury “A” Mill and other flour mills powered by St. Anthony Falls, Washburn “A” Mill the contributed immensely to the development of Minneapolis. On May 2, 1878,... Read Full Story

Because there are so many great environmentally friendly things going on in Minnesota, we like to do these little green updates on the Barker & Hedges blog. May’s is inspired by Arbor Day. Okay, if you’re up on your earth-friendly observances, you know that Arbor Day is celebrated nationally in April. But this year, some different things have been happening in Minneapolis, I’ll get right into explaining it. First, since last month’s Greening Minnesota was so early ... Read Full Story

It’s spring time, I’m pretty sure that most of the frosts have passed (though there was a little on my car at the obscenely early hour of 4:30 AM on Tuesday), and people are getting their Green Thumbs out to spruce up the yard for the selling season. Here are a list of classes being provided by Minneapolis Community Education through the rest of May. Color and Design with Perennials This class is taken after the introductory class, “Perennials for Minnesota,” and goes... Read Full Story

Because homes don’t always fit into specific architectural categories, Barker & Hedges Sunday posts are for the Unique Home of the Week. And check out this unique home built in 1994. This 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom home is a stunning example of contemporary custom designed houses. The modern look of this home permeates it throughout, with its white, black, red, and shiny metallic or lacquer-like surfaces giving it a futuristic feel. That transfers over to the kitchen, where one will find a gou... Read Full Story