Living on the East Side, 1920s - 1960s East Side neighborhoods, including Dayton's Bluff, Payne-Phalen, and Swede Hollow, had long been the home of aspiring immigrant communities. These neighborhoods and the two nearby high schools, Johnson and Harding, were ready sources of potential 3Mers. One could get a job in the 3M abrasives, adhesives, or tape factories. Many did, learned on the job, shifted to other positions, and advanced. To recruit trained office workers, 3M offered part-time positions to young women in high school business programs. Part-time positions were given to young men in trades training programs.
Encouraging Local Engagement Saint Paul’s East Side had many churches of various denominations, often affiliated with ethnic groups. 3M, as a matter of company policy, urged its employees to participate in religious activities. 3M also encouraged employees to be good citizens, exercise their right to vote, be aware of politics, and contact their elected officials.
Leisure and Recreation The immediate neighborhood had opportunities for leisure activities including several movie theaters—the Roxy on East Minnehaha, the Arcade, and the Payne. 3M itself was an important source of leisure and recreational activities. Many of the employees were members of the 3M Club, which sponsored a wide variety of sports teams and hobby clubs for both men and women. The teams played internally and in the Commercial League with other Saint Paul companies. Socializing was also encouraged within departments, from congratulatory parties for marriages, babies, and retirements, to large Christmas dinners at local restaurants and country clubs.
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2015 Material: Corten steel, mirrored stainless steel, 3M dichroic glass, copper-coated rods, 3M-salvaged brick, taconite, quartzite, rubber porous paving, granite
Bench
2015 Material: 3M-salvaged stainless steel stair railings
A project of the East Side Arts Council and the Saint Paul Port Authority, with additional funding from the McKnight Foundation and a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Next Step grant.
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Material: steel, aluminum, solar lighting
This sundial-inspired artwork evokes the visual imagery of creatures whose bodies are comprised of 90% or more water - jellies, rays, and mushrooms.
A project of the East Side Arts Council and the Saint Paul Port Authority, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Fast Track and the McKnight Foundation.
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]]>Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing initially raised capital by selling stock at $1 per share in 1903. In the early years, it was essentially worthless as the company struggled. 3M paid its first quarterly dividend of 6 cents per share in 1916 and has paid a dividend every quarter since then. In 1952, at the time of the company’s 50th anniversary, the story was told of the family who found 1,500 shares of 3M stock purchased in 1906. The initial $1,500 investment had grown to 48,000 shares through stock splits and reinvestments, worth $1.92 million. The total stock dividends were more than $340,000. 3M stock was first traded on the New York Stock Exchange on January 14, 1946. The first employee stock purchase plan was offered in 1928 at $10 per share. Thirty-eight office and laboratory employees, seven factory employees, and thirty-three branch employees signed up. In 1949, 3M introduced another employee stock purchase plan through payroll deduction and cash credit. The stock was priced at $71 per share. By the time of the company’s 75th anniversary, one share had become 48 shares through stock splits, worth a total of $2,400.
]]>The 66-foot tall steel flagpole was installed at the corner of Bush and Mendota by the administration building (Building 21) in September 1941. On October 4, 1941, the 3M Club sponsored a flag-raising ceremony. The flag had flown over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It was raised by the color guard of the Dayton’s Bluff American Legion Post while the 3M Company Band played the “Star Spangled Banner.” Because of its height and location, the flagpole has remained a prominent feature of the 3M Saint Paul campus. Another company-wide ceremony was held on May 26, 1944, when the Treasury Department Minuteman flag was added to the flagpole. It marked the participation of 90 percent of 3M employees and 10 percent of payroll savings in the Fourth War Loan Bond drive.
]]>3M constantly improved its machinery and technology to develop, produce, and sell its products. Nonetheless, it was dependent on its people to get the job done. Some of these jobs no longer exist or have been completely automated.
Meet a 3Mer and you will often find that he or she has family members who also work at 3M, part of a long 3M tradition. Otto Meissner was a prime example. Living at 668 Greenbrier, he did not have far to go when he started work in the abrasives converting department in 1943 as part of the war effort. He was 65 at the time and continued at 3M for another ten years. His niece Hulda Meissner worked in the ProFab Lab as part of the group developing ribbons and non-woven fabric. His nephew John was employed in the machine shop. A son-in-law Siv Bertozzi worked in engineering. Other nephews, Fred and George, and nieces, Ann, Elsie, and Elaine, also worked at 3M. Marriages between 3M employees were a regular event, and regularly reported in the 3M Megaphone.
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