West Side: Beyond the Bluff
Tour Description
The top and edge of the bluff, overlooking the river valley, was the precinct of the well-to-do and mostly still is. But once you get just a few streets south, the neighborhood becomes more varied and, for some, more interesting.
Start near the base of the slope that rises west from Wabasha Street, at the corner of Humboldt and Robie. St. Matthew’s School, built in 1902, is probably the second-oldest school building in the city, after St. Joseph’s Academy/Christ’s Household of Faith (1863).
On your way up take Winifred Street and stop at Jerabek’s New Bohemian Coffeehouse and Bakery. The Jerabek family has been operating a bakery since 1906.
A short distance south, at the corner of Humboldt and George, you will find Riverview Library - one of 2,000 Carnegie libraries in the country, and one of three in St. Paul.
Continuing west on George Street, are series of significant homes. Turning south on Ohio Street, you will find an 1883 rowhouse and the 1910 Engine House #21.