of the Lost and Found
Working title of a new book
by William E Burleson
What is "Block E"?
Avenue is set in an old entertainment district fallen on hard times. While Avenue is fiction, the place is very real (in a couple senses of the term). It is popularly known as Block E for its planning designation. Not a great marketing moment, but it strangely works.
The block bound by Hennepin and First Avenue, Seventh and Sixth Street in downtown Minneapolis. In the 1970s and early 80’s it was notorious for its bars, porn businesses, drug dealers and prostitutes. It also hosted two old single screen movie theaters, the World and the Academy. The whole block was torn down in the mid 80’s except the Academy, which reverted to its old name vaudeville days, the Schubert, and was moved a block away. Now Block E is a shopping mall, mostly closed at that, and is probably more dangerous now than it ever was.
Avenue is set in 1979. Businesses on Hennepin at that time were Shinders on Seventh, the famous newsstand and bookstore, the Best Steak House, a porn bookstore, something I can’t remember, infamous Moby Dicks, the American and Adonis porno theater, McDonalds, Brady’s Pub, and Shinders on Sixth. And somewhere in there was the entrance to the Rand Hotel and Rifle Sport arcade. On Seventh Street past Shinders there was the Venice Café, the World Theater, the Academy Theater (now the Shubert), a Japanese restaurant, a liquor store, and Bootleggers bar on the corner of Seventh Street and First Avenue. What was on First Avenue, you ask? Beats me. Same with Sixth Street. Memory fails. After all, I had no idea it might be of interest thirty years later, so it’s not like I took notes.
Visit www.williamburleson.org for more by and about the author
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