Mary Tyler Moore Locations

Many major Midwestern cities have had their TV show over the years. Milwaukee had Happy Days, Chicago had Bob Newhart and Good Times, Dallas had Dallas, and here in the Twin Cities, it was Mary. Here is a photo tour of some of the locations that show up in the Mary Tyler Moore show.

Note—click on each photo to see the full size image.

The owner of this home, a university professor, grew tired of the traffic and attention, so he tried to end his relationship with the show. MTM was not anxious to change the story. To encourage MTM to move on, the professor put up "Impeach Nixon" signs at the home in 1973. As a result, Mary Richards moved to an apartment in 1975.

Location: 2104 Kenwood Parkway. There is no easy way to find this location. Take the Hennepin Ave exit south from I-94, go west on Franklin, then west on 21st Ave.

Location: Lake Of The Isles. Take Lake Street west from I-35W, then north on East Calhoun Parkway or Dean Parkway to Lake Of The Isles Parkway (which circles the lake).

The reality is that much of the 14 tower urban village never materialized. Today, the buildings are rundown, shabby, and infested with gangs. It is a modern urban ghetto that the locals call the 'crack stack'.

Location: Northeast corner of I-94 and I-35W interchange in Minneapolis, take the Cedar Ave exit from I-94.

Location: IDS Center, Nicollet Ave and 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis.

Location: Basil's Restaurant, IDS Center, 7th and Nicollet.

Midwest Federal went bankrupt during the S&L fiasco in the late 1980's, and was taken over by Resolution Trust. The building itself was renamed Midwest Plaza, and is leased to a mixed group of tenants. Twenty stories was big for the Twin Cities in 1969, but in 2006, there are some 38 buildings taller than Midwest Plaza. The skyway level now contains a Barnes & Nobel Bookseller, and the excellent 8th Street Bar and Grille is located at ground level. Given all the new buildings, it is nearly impossible to find a location to photograph the building, at least from street level.

A blooper that has been pointed out by MTM fans is in episode 149, Ted's Change Of Heart. The WJM crew is shown looking out the newsroom windows at the sunset. The only problem is that the cut-away shots at Mary's office show the newsroom windows on the east side of the building.

Location: Midwest Plaza, 801 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.

In the background, at 700 Nicollet Ave, is Marshall Fields. Until recently, this was the flagship store in the Dayton's chain. Daytons became Target, and now focuses on Target Stores, so it sold off the department stores. In the show, this store is known as Hemples Department Store, where Rhoda works as a window dresser.

Location: 7th and Nicollet, downtown Minneapolis.

Location: 7800 Normandale Blvd, Bloomington, MN. At I-494 and MN-100 interchange.

The City Hall building was started in 1888, and completed 21 years later in 1909. With its towers rising 345 feet high, it was the tallest building in the city until the Foshay Tower was topped off. When built, the building featured the largest clocks in the world. You can often see these clocks on cable TV—they are used in several CNN promos.

Location: 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis. In downtown Minneapolis.

That store was Kowalski's Market on Hennepin Ave. At the time, Kowalski's was a modern 1970s grocery store. It has since been rebuilt as a high end boutique grocery store. Mary would probably still shop there if she lived in the area, but she would probably also take a trip out to the suburbs to shop at a Cub Foods once a month or so to take advantage of the better prices.

Location: 2440 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis.

Update—sadly, the Burch Pharmacy closed at the end of April, 2010, after 80 years in business. The owner retired, and could not find a buyer for the store.

Location: 1942 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis.