(circa 1940) La Fayette Fields (1896-1982)

Pictured above are La Fayette Fields of Majestic Drug Store, 620 Rondo St., (corner of I-94 and Dale) and diminutive "Buck" Parcell, salesman for Howel's Root Beer.

Fields was an institution in St. Paul. One of the most respected members of the black community from the 1940's until his death, he was the first black pharmacist to graduate from the University of MN and for several years was the only black pharmacist who owned his own store.

Fredrick L. McGhee

McGhee, 665 University Ave., founded the Niagra Movement (lead by W.E.B. Dubois). McGhee also formed a local civil rights unit called the Twin Cities Protective League.

Because of his national connections to other organizations, McGhee became one of the League's two delegates to the first convention of the NAACP in Chicago. Unfortunately, McGhee died in 1912, a year before the NAACP would take root in St. Paul. When the St. Paul chapter of the NAAP convened its first meeting on September 19, 1913, the members founded the chapter in his memory.

James W. Crump, M.D. 1886-1969

Dr. Crump, 639 Fuller Ave., was a family doctor who practiced over 40 years in St. Paul. He was one of the earliest African-Americans in the U.S. admitted into the Medical Association and was a committed local leader of social causes.

***MAP OF SUMMIT/UNIVERSITY AREA***

EDUCATION

Adult Diploma - Evening High School
275 N. Lexington Pkwy., St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 632-6015

Central Senior High School

Maxfield Magnet Elementary

R. Ronald Hubbs Center

Rondo Community Outreach Library

The Saint Paul Area Learning Center/Secondary Programs

CHURCHES

Camphor United Methodist

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
983 Central Ave W., St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 645-7323

Pilgrim Baptist Church

St Albans Church of God in Christ
678 Aurora Ave, St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 224-7740

St. James Ame Church - African Methodist Episcopal
624 Central Ave W., St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 227-4151

St. Paul City Church
1098 University Ave W., St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 646-4108

St. Peter Claver Catholic Church
375 N. Oxford St., St. Paul, MN 55104
(651) 646-1797

Saint Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church

ARTS & RECREATION

Hallie Q. Brown/Martin Luther King Community Center
270 Kent St. N., St. Paul, MN 55102
(651) 224-4601

Jimmy Lee Recreation Center

The Penumbra Theatre Company

AREA HISTORY

The Summit/University area was part of a large African-American community that centered around Rondo Avenue in the 1930's. Rondo Avenue was destroyed to make way for the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960's.

Rondo Neighborhood and the Building of I-94 - The Minnesota Historical Society provides a list of books and video resources.

Remember Rondo - Rondo Days Celebration - Events and activites held every summer to celebrate the historical neighborhood.

In 2002, “Tiger” Jack Rosenbloom’s store was moved from its original location at 369 N. Dale Street in St. Paul to the Minnesota History Center, at 345 Kellogg Blvd. W. The 8x10-foot building, with many of its original contents in tact, is an important remnant of the historic Rondo neighborhood of St. Paul. It was unveiled under “T” in “Minnesota A to Z” in 2003. The center's first exhibit since it opened in 2002, closed on July 4, 2004.

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