In Search of Bob Dylan

 From the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden we walked on the pedestrian bridge, the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge (1987), designed by Siah Armajani, crossing Hennepin Avenue, connecting the sculpture garden to Loring Park.

another view of the Basilica from the pedestrian bridge

3-D billboard seen on our walk downtown

a mural, but not Bob Dylan

Lumber Exchange building across the street from our destination

old water tower on a roof also across the street 

This five-story tribute to Bob Dylan was created in the fall of 2015 as a private commission. It has become iconic to downtown Minneapolis and the Hennepin Theatre District. Eduardo Kobra, the mural artist, is a native of Brazil. While Dylan’s connections to Hennepin Avenue aren’t as well-known as his ties to the Dinkytown area of Minneapolis, Dylan and his brother once owned the Orpheum Theatre (today owned by the Hennepin Theatre Trust). In November 2014, the performer played a sold-out, three-night stand in the historic space.

since we were close, we stopped at Target Field

for photo ops

Sid Hartman and the grands

Prince Mural

Painted by muralist Hiero Veiga, the tribute to Prince stands 100 feet tall and is located downtown Minneapolis at First Avenue and 8th Street. It was unveiled June 2022.

for more about Prince in Minneapolis

see this blog post: Seeing Purple

The Basilica of Saint Mary is a Roman Catholic minor basilica located on its own city block along Hennepin Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first basilica established in the United States. ~ Wikipedia

Emmanuel Masqueray, our architect, was born in France in 1861 and attended the "Ecole des Beaux Arts" of Paris. He was the chief architect and designer of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Archbishop Ireland met Masqueray at the Fair and was impressed with his work.

Archbishop Ireland invited Masqueray to Minnesota to collaborate on his grand plan to simultaneously build both the grand new cathedral in St. Paul and the Pro-Cathedral in Minneapolis. ~ Basilica of Saint Mary

Recognized as one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the country, the Basilica of Saint Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915. It was raised to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. ~ The Basilica of Saint Mary

The story of Mary is depicted in the satined glass windows of the basilica. The final window is the rose window depicting the Coronation of Mary as the Queen of Heaven.

Chapel of Saint Therese of Lisieux

So I was curious as to the difference between a cathedral and a basilica. A cathedral is any church that is the “seat” of a bishop. There is one cathedral per diocese. A basilica is any church named highly important by the pope based on its historical or cultural importance, its art or beauty, its significance in the liturgical life of the Church or a variety of these attributes. ~ Google

Miss W did not believe me when I told her it was a sculpture of a homeless person sleeping on the bench. She got close and personal and touched the feet. The bench sculpture is at the front of the basilica.