About the Photographer

When Bill set about his photographic essay on the carriage houses and barns of Saint Paul in May of 2010 he focused on this city’s most notable historic area - Summit Hill. He then explored the nearby historic Irvine Park neighborhood nearer the Mississippi and downtown, then the East Side’s Dayton’s Bluff and Mounds Park neighborhoods followed by the upper West Side’s Prospect Park and Cherokee Park neighborhoods.

By June he realized he could not overlook a corner of Saint Paul - there were too many worthy structures that needed to be included. So, for the rest of that summer, while largely on bike, he visited every residential street and alley - no matter how small or out of the way, in Minnesota’s Capital City. It was a physical challenge, especially being half of Saint Paul is on a hill.

The criteria for the photographs he would use on this journey covering hundreds of miles, were that the old or newer structures would typically be a detached secondary structure behind a home, at least a story and a half and that it be photogenic – obviously or at times less so. Even then in the end, dozens structures could not make to cut. Also of note, one of the structures is a church - perhaps the oldest structure in Saint Paul. Though most of the pictures were taken from an alley, street or sidewalk many were taken while on private property. Often when the owner was not home, a neighbor’s assistance was enlisted. Countless times he needed to retrace his route to meet a property owner. To Saint Paul’s credit, only several times was Bill denied the photo he requested.

The images are generally grouped by neighborhoods. Print I: Summit, Crocus Hill, Irvine Park, West Seventh, West Side. Print II: Summit - University. Print III: Highland, Macalester, Groveland. Print IV: Merriam Park, Hamline - Midway, Como, St. Anthony Park. Print V: North End, Phalen, East Side, Dayton’s Bluff, Railroad Island, Battlecreek. This project introduced Bill to every block and corner of this city. He enjoyed meeting many memorable people and hearing so many memorable stories while chronicling this largely unknown, yet beautiful side of Saint Paul.