The Sad Status of Mary's Upscale High-rise Apartment Building

[Brian Damage]

In 1975, Mary Tyler Moore left her exclusive Kenwood pad for a new upscale high-rise apartment in the Riverside Towers. The key features of these towers were the bright multicolor panels on the building that was supposed to cheer up and inspire people.
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'.


http://www.johnweeks.com/tour/mtm/index.html

[catwoman1]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

In 1975, Mary Tyler Moore left her exclusive Kenwood pad for a new upscale high-rise apartment in the Riverside Towers. The key features of these towers were the bright multicolor panels on the building that was supposed to cheer up and inspire people.
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'.


http://www.johnweeks.com/tour/mtm/index.html

That is an excellent link. Thanks !!

I did want to mention this. Everything I've ever read about the opening shots always says Mary is buying meat but I have never thought that. It looks like bakery items to me. I'm watching now so at the beginning of the next episode I'm going to try and pause it at that shot.

[catlover79]

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by catwoman1

That is an excellent link. Thanks !!

I did want to mention this. Everything I've ever read about the opening shots always says Mary is buying meat but I have never thought that. It looks like bakery items to me. I'm watching now so at the beginning of the next episode I'm going to try and pause it at that shot.

you are very welcome, enjoy!

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by catlover79

yeah I know, tell me about it, what a shame

[ClassicTVGal]

Ooooh, yeah! Thanks for the link!
I still hope to go to Minneapolis some day. I've wanted to go for *years*.
My best friend growing up, her mother was from there..(she, her mom, even babysat actor Steve Zahn).
I can't tell you how many people I've met from Minnesota (or Minn.) that tell me that I wouldn't wanna go.
No offense, but I don't care what they say, I STILL would love to visit! And *of course* a MTM tour would be high on my list!

[PGood97041]

I visited Minneapolis a couple of summers ago and did the Mary tour. I highly recommend it. If you're a real fan of the show, you'll get a huge kick out of a few of the sites.

The best one for me was walking out from Minneapolis to the Kenwood neighborhood (although you have to allow at least 45 minutes up AND back) to see Mary's first apartment. I mean, it's just a house, but it's "the Mary house", and I was surprised what a thrill it was to actually see it!
Just a short walk from there is Lake of the Isles, where they filmed the jogging scene in the open, and also where I believe they filmed the scene in which Mary drops her pocketbook while doing the interview. Pretty cool.
Another good one was Basil's, the restaurant Mary had the great table at. I saw it from below, and then went into the restaurant and walked by the table, although I didn't eat there.
Finally, it was great fun to see the Mary statue, because one can easily imagine her tossing the hat up in the air, and the old lady giving her the strange look! I, of course, tossed my baseball hat up in the air, and it felt like I was glared at by several people, but others seemed to realize what I was doing and laughed.

I saw most of the other sites noted in that link, including her second apartment. It would have been good to know that wasn't a nice area, but I didn't feel particularly threatened as I was walking around it. I wasn't gonna go inside or anything. And now that people have kind of been warned, it IS distinctive enough with the colored panels so that if you just eye it from several blocks away, from the safer downtown area, you've kind of seen all there is to see.

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by PGood97041

I visited Minneapolis a couple of summers ago and did the Mary tour. I highly recommend it. If you're a real fan of the show, you'll get a huge kick out of a few of the sites.

The best one for me was walking out from Minneapolis to the Kenwood neighborhood (although you have to allow at least 45 minutes up AND back) to see Mary's first apartment. I mean, it's just a house, but it's "the Mary house", and I was surprised what a thrill it was to actually see it!
Just a short walk from there is Lake of the Isles, where they filmed the jogging scene in the open, and also where I believe they filmed the scene in which Mary drops her pocketbook while doing the interview. Pretty cool.
Another good one was Basil's, the restaurant Mary had the great table at. I saw it from below, and then went into the restaurant and walked by the table, although I didn't eat there.
Finally, it was great fun to see the Mary statue, because one can easily imagine her tossing the hat up in the air, and the old lady giving her the strange look! I, of course, tossed my baseball hat up in the air, and it felt like I was glared at by several people, but others seemed to realize what I was doing and laughed.

I saw most of the other sites noted in that link, including her second apartment. It would have been good to know that wasn't a nice area, but I didn't feel particularly threatened as I was walking around it. I wasn't gonna go inside or anything. And now that people have kind of been warned, it IS distinctive enough with the colored panels so that if you just eye it from several blocks away, from the safer downtown area, you've kind of seen all there is to see.

Well thank you, PGood for your information. And, yes, I am a *huge* fan.
Yes, I even once called that restuarant.
I think it would be cool to reserve the "Mary" table! (who even shares it with then husband, Grant Tinker)

I even looked up her 119 NorthWeatherly house on "Google Earth" a couple months ago, lol.

I'd love to walk by the "WJM building" too. (among other great sites)

[hch]

Originally Posted by PGood97041

Just a short walk from there is Lake of the Isles, where they filmed the jogging scene in the open, and also where I believe they filmed the scene in which Mary drops her pocketbook while doing the interview. Pretty cool.

If you look at that scene again, Mary did not drop her pocketbook. This was cleared up in the Season 2 DVD special feature "Moore on Sunday", where they shows them doing the opening credit scenes for Season 4 of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". In the scene she is holding the microphone off screen while a cop and a reporter are talking. She is supposed to be off screen, so when the camera swung to where the cop was pointing at something, she DUCKS so she won't be seen by the camera. Just thought I'd like to point that out.

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by hch

In the scene she is holding the microphone off screen while a cop and a reporter are talking. She is supposed to be off screen, so when the camera swung to where the cop was pointing at something, she DUCKS so she won't be seen by the camera. Just thought I'd like to point that out

Yes, that is what she is doing.
Interesting that was filmed for the credits, considering never mentioning Mary doing interviews, that I can recall on the show. On the street, anyway.

[PGood97041]

Oh, that's interesting, I hadn't noticed that!
I thought she dropped something!
I'll have to eye it very carefully Saturday night, when I watch my weekly re-run!