Dan's News and Views Blog: November-December 2019

St. James Hotel Renovations Continue

The Veranda Patio renovation in spring 2019 was the beginning of a five-year plan to bring the St. James to new heights. Starting in December 2019, The Veranda Restaurant will undergo major renovations to follow the patio’s look of modern sophistication and class. In addition to restoration of The Veranda, a tasting room separate from the restaurant is also being added. Work will begin early December through spring 2020. The renderings below show what the updated restaurant and tasting room will look like when completed.

Red Wing’s Mayo Clinic Health System Recognized

For the fourth consecutive year, Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing has earned the Bernard A. Birnbaum, M.D., Quality Leadership Award. The Red Wing hospital ranked No. 2 among 95 community hospitals. The award recognizes superior performance, as measured by Vizient’s Quality and Accountability Study, which has been conducted annually since 2005 by Vizient Inc., a health care performance improvement company in the U.S.

The awards are based on the results of a quality and accountability study that help hospitals enhance patient care. The Institute of Medicine’s six areas of care – Safety, Timeliness, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Equity and Patient-Centeredness – guided how the study criteria were structured.

Red Wing Bridge Project

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the new Eisenhower Bridge of Valor. The Highway 63 Bridge will soon open, which will feature two travel lanes with wider shoulders and a 12-foot wide shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists on the upstream side of the bridge. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting event will take place in November 2019, and a final completion community celebration will occur in August 2020.  This joint Minnesota and Wisconsin project cost $63.4 million as the third river crossing bridge in this location.  Local philanthropic funding from the Jones Family Foundation and the Red Wing Area Fund ($364,920) will enhance landscaping, lighting and signage for the bridge. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 26, 2017.

Manufacturers Month

Each year in October, in celebration of Manufactures Month, the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce develops a schedule of activates to highlight the importance of area manufacturers and the contributions they add to our community. Events take place throughout the month, including the Annual Manufacturing Appreciation Luncheon, an Annual Business Expo, and educational seminars. They also put together a schedule of local manufacturer factory tours.  

One local manufacturer on the tour, ProAct, also celebrated 50 years of service to the community. Interstate Rehabilitation Center (IRC), which later became ProAct, opened in September 1969, to serve individuals with disabilities with employment, training, and life enrichment. IRC first opened in the administrator’s house of the old city hospital. In 1975 they purchased a 40,000 square-foot building in Red Wing’s Industrial Park, their current location.  ProAct employs 300 people, and it has supported more than 50 organizations in the area.  It does a great job to integrate people with disabilities in the workplace.  

Beautiful Historic Housing

Red Wing is typically known for its downtown historic commercial district.  However, it also has two residential historic/conservation districts, the West and South End. The West Residential District was locally designated by the City in 1992 and is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This district, according to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form is “an excellent representation of an evolving residential district, beginning in the late 1850s and culminating in the early 1930s with a slight majority of the buildings dating from the City’s period of greatest construction; the late 1880s to pre-World War I.” 

The South End Residential District was locally designated by the City in 2015. Most of the homes in this district were built between 1857 and 1939. There is a preponderance of pre-World War II buildings, mostly two-story homes, and many with architectural ornamentation.  The wide range of houses reflects the popular styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  To learn more about Red Wing’s Historic Architecture, download the Footsteps through Historic Red Wing Walking Tour on the City’s website.

Dan Rogness - Red Wing Community Development Director