This building has historical bones...
1894 - Andrew Lidberg, an immigrant
from Jarpen, Sweden builds and opens The Lidberg
Studio at 443 W. 3rd Street, Downtown Red Wing,
Minnesota (the corner of W. 3rd Street and East
Avenue), which is immediately next door to Charlie
Wah's Chinese Laundry. The Daily Republican on April
9th, 1894 writes, "Mr. Lidberg opened his gallery
today, and it is a fine one. He will employ only
competent workers and work at the lowest living
prices."
1899 - Upon graduating from Red Wing High School,
Andrew 's son Edward joins the studio full time. The
Lidberg's begin producing the first series of colored
souvenir post cards of Red Wing and the surrounding
area. The photos were exposed on glass plates and
developed at the studio. Negatives were then produced
and sent to Germany to be lithographed into color
post cards. These postcards are now collector items
with a passionate following.
1902 - Local businessman T.B. Sheldon donates money
to the City of Red Wing to build the country's first
city-owned theater. To make room for the Sheldon
Theatre, The Lidberg Studio is moved across the park
mall to 312 West Avenue where the building is located
today. A glass wall is oriented to the east to
provide natural light illumination for portraiture
photography.
1910? - Andrew Lidberg retires. Frank Booth, a
graduate of Effingham School of Photography in
Illinois, joins the studio.
1915 - Because of the war in Europe, it becomes
increasingly difficult do receive color lithographs
from Germany. Senator Knute Nelson has to intervene
to get a production run of postcards released.
Production is moved to Chicago (Acmegraph Company)
and Milwaukee (E.C. Kropp Company).
1915 - Edward Lidberg begins his real estate career
and the photography business begins to wind down. By
1920 the building is a full-time real estate office.
1920 - 1953 Very few building details. The best guess
at this point is that from approximately 1920 to 1936
it was a real estate office and from about 1937 until
1953 it was various photography studios.
1953 - The Chalet Studio opens. This portrait studio
is owned and operated by Ms. Louella Champs.
1972 - Edward Lidberg dies.
1978 - The Chalet Studio closes. The building is in
very rough shape with the roof in danger of
collapsing.
1979 - The building is repaired and restored by Dick
Tittle. It becomes home to InComm Realty and Maas
Realty
2008 - The building becomes home to Red Wing Framing
Gallery and Red Wing Portrait Studio.
What goes around, comes around. Even if it takes 114
years.