History Project

By Laura Oyen
Last summer two St. Catherine University students, Eva Ngono and KC Meredyk and their Advisor, Associate Professor Rachel Neiwert, assisted the Como Neighborhood History Project in historic research and community member interviews in the study of Subdistrict 4. Collecting and recording the stories about the neighborhood and community members who lived in this area, between the railroad tracks, was the focus for the summer of 2023. Documenting stories of our community for future residents is what this project is all about.

By Laura Oyen
Marjorie Moody and Mike Zaccardi have lived in the immersive space of what was originally the Lake Park Baptist Church since 1993. This converted church became both their home and their work space for the past 30 years.

The Monitor (Midway, Como, Frogtown) featured D10’s Know Your Como and the Neighborhood History Project on the front page of their August issue! The story covers the partnership with St. Kate’s students to recognize the historic Racial Covenants that exist in our neighborhood, and the future plans of the Neighborhood History Project.

By Laura Oyen

Over the past year the Como Neighborhood History Project has been fortunate to work with students and staff in collaboration with the St. Kate’s Welcoming the Dear Neighbor? (WTDN?) Project. WTDN? is an interdisciplinary team of faculty, staff, students and community members which began in 2017 as a collaboration between St. Catherine University and Mapping Prejudice.

Readers of the April 3, 1888 Saint Paul Globe might have noticed this tidbit in the paper that day. “The public schools reopened yesterday after the regular Easter vacation with a full attendance. The new McClellan school, Oxford and Stinson, schools being occupied for the first time.” McClellan school took several years to transform from the “Comoville” school, temporarily located on Front Ave in a rented building, to the two story eight room building that stood for 87 years.