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“Until 1950, Rondo was the heart of what was considered to be the black community, although the number of blacks living in St. Paul in those days was relatively small... In looking back, I realize I had as many Italian and Irish friends as those who were black. The Rondo area was not a black ghetto... but a melting pot of races and nationalities that produced many of St. Paul’s future business, civic and social leaders.”
– James Griffin, author of “Jimmy Griffin: A Son of Rondo”
Remembering Rondo:
Construction of a Highway, Destruction of a Diverse Community
Anyone familiar with the Twin Cities is familiar with Interstate 94, the highway that not only makes it a snap to get from St. Paul to Minneapolis, but also provides a swift route from neighboring suburban areas into both cities. Thousands of people travel it daily, but one may wonder how many of them think about what was there before the freeway. How many consider that something had to be torn down for the highway to be constructed? Is it ever remembered that, as a piece of writing by Mary Sanders was titled: “Before Interstate 94... There Was Rondo”?
Rondo Avenue was a road created in the 1850s. As the land surrounding it was developed, a neighborhood community formed. Almost at the genesis of this community there was diversity. Much of the Italian, Swedish and Russian immigrant population of the Twin Cities lived there. In the 1930s and 40s a significant number of black families began settling in the area. As they did, they sought a holistic environment where their faith and life were aligned with their geographic community.
 And there really did seem to be harmony among the diverse cultures in Rondo. It was a place where people related to each other in healthy ways and understood their interdependence with one another. It was a place where common experiences of racism and economic disparity led to a common understanding. It was a refuge and a good place to live.
As time marched on, the social ethos around the neighborhood changed from communal to individualistic. This, combined with a structurally unjust economic system, began to take its toll on the Rondo neighborhood and the families that lived there. As opportunities dwindled, neighbors became more disconnected, and money for property development wasn’t there. The community began to struggle.
Then in the 1960s a highway uniting the Twin Cities was planned to go right through the Rondo neighborhood. Although many residents truly wanted to preserve their way of life and some tried refusing to leave, the authority had its way. I-94 construction was under way and the end of a lively, diverse community would follow. No neighborhood is perfect, including Rondo, but what was once an oasis of communal vibrancy and beauty is now just a memory.
 The Rondo Days Festival, one of the Twin Cities’ biggest annual celebrations, began in 1983. Every year it commemorates Rondo’s existence and what Rondo stood for: diversity, community and pride. Next time it comes around, think about the true meaning behind the celebration. Next time we think of I-94, hopefully we won’t just think about a quick route between cities, but the loss of a community. That loss is a travesty, and it made a legend out of the word “Rondo.”
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