Serendipity, the Duluth Armory and a Dylan Fan from Germany

Tuesday afternoon I got a call from Visit Duluth asking if I might be available to give a tour of local Dylan sites to a journalist from Germany who had just arrived fir the day. I just happened to be downtown when the call came and we arranged to meet at Amazing Grace, a coffeehouse in Canal Park's DeWitt-Seitz Building. I was waiting at a table when our faithful Visit Duluth liaison Maarja Hewitt arrived with our Deutschland guest Christoph Moeskes in tow.

Moeskes is editor for a German travel publication called America. He's also an avid Dylan fan, and having the opportunity to tour a bit of our Minnesota North Country was an opportunity he didn't want to miss. The meeting place was selected somewhat randomly inasmuch as our purpose was simply to find a connecting point and then tour a few sites beginning with Bob Dylan Way.

Fate intervened, however, with a few quick, simple twists. First, Tuesday was an open mic afternoon for the Music Resource Center (MRC), under the auspices of the Armory Arts and Resources Center (AARC). The AARC is tied to the Duluth Armory where young Robert Zimmerman saw Buddy Holly perform in one of his last concerts. The first duo to perform on stage included Tristan Espamer and Manny Eisele, Manny riffing a white electric guitar with Tristan on bass. The usic has a Santanaesque quality, only missing the eccectic percussion accompaniment. Manny was the son of local artist Carla Hamilton, who grew up in nearby Wrenshall, left home at 18 and ultimately lived in Stuttgart for 18 years. Returning to the States in 2012 she has been an active force in the local art scene.

As soon as I mentioned this to Christoph and Maarja, Carla herself came in and sat down at the next table, whereupon I called her over and introduced her to our guest from Germany. I thought it would be a nice touch for Christoph and Carla to exchange a few words in German. For laughs I shared three sentences I know from junior high German class.

Then, another twist of fate occurred. Mark Poirier, head of the AARC, arrived for the MRC open mic event. We introduced Christoph and he invited us to take a quick tour of the interior of the Armory, a rare and unexpected opportunity for sure. The planned ride along Bob Dylan Way would be moved to the last part of the two hour tour.

The Duluth Armory was built in 1915 and has a storied history. In 1918 a great fire consumed as many as 35 communities on the south and west outskirts of Duluth. The Armory served as a shelter and meeting place for families that were separated. And for the decades afterward it became a cultural hub for entertainers and public speakers including Bob Hope, Harry Truman, Liberace, The Supremes, and most significantly for Dylan fans, Buddy Holly.

A site recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, there has been a hardworking board comprised of volunteers striving to save the structure and fulfill a vision to make it a significant resource again for the community.

Check out this 1935 audience that came here to hear the symphony.

Mark Poirier (left) discusses Armory status with Christoph Moeskes.

(L to R) Ed Newman, Christoph Moeskes, Maarja Hewitt

And so with an open door Mark Poirier ushered Christoph, Maarja and I were into the Drill Hall, where troops once practiced digging fox holes, where masses gathered for entertainment, where rural refugees found consolation after that tragic fire. Standing there before the stage one is immediately struck by all the history that has been made here. It seemed you can still feel the presence of those echoes from time past.

We then slipped up to the Green Room, that staging area where performers prepare for going on stage. The dilapidated walls hardly diminish the feeling one gets from knowing that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, Johnny Cash and so many others each waited here, tuning their guitars, assembling their "game face" and pulling themselves into a presence that would take the stage. And what a big stage it was, large enough to contain an orchestra, which it did at one time.

Mark and Christoph enjoyed an engaging conversation throughout. 

Bob and his family lived upstairs.

OUR NEXT STOP was the duplex where Abe and Beatty Zimmerman lived upstairs when they brought young Bobby home from the hospital. St. Mary's hospital is only a few blocks from the Zimmerman home which is on 3rd Avenue East a half block above 5th Street. Christoph took photos and looked for the plaque, which he enjoyed.

While driving on Fourth Street Christoph and I both agreed that Duluth should rename it Positively Fourth Street. I went so far as to suggest we rename Highway 61 as well... Highway 61 Revisited.

We worked our way to the Duluth Depot where Bob Dylan Way commences. We stopped at the first intersection to give our guest an opportunity to take a photo of the Dylan-themed manhole cover there, then we tucked our vehicle between the buildings to crawl along the passageway which ultimately leads from the Depot to the Armory.

I broke off at this point, appreciative of the opportunity share a few moments with our European visitor. His next stop was to be Hibbing, where the Zimmermans moved with six-year-old Bob and brother David 1. Christoph started the adventure in Minneapolis, taking in a number of sites there including the impressive six-story-high Dylan mural adjacent to Hennepin Avenue. The editor planned to head over to Bemidji from Hibbing before returning to the Twin Cities to make his departure.

Christoph... Thank you for making time to visit with us here. We look forward to the stories you share about America, in America.

Related Links
The Historic Duluth Armory
Items of Note Regarding the Historic Duluth Armory
Christoph Moeskes' magazine, America

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