<center>[![Uptown no more](https://ipfs.pics/ipfs/QmesLvVc2ZHaKgvzua1ZHBqe9V8BAGJabpjJ15VY7nxgYC)](https://ipfs.pics/ipfs/QmesLvVc2ZHaKgvzua1ZHBqe9V8BAGJabpjJ15VY7nxgYC)</center>

The Uptown Bar was a long-time Minneapolis Uptown neighborhood rock bar establishment. It was a great place to catch both free and cheap rock shows from local and touring acts, or have a bloody mary on a Sunday morning then stick around to watch the noon football game.

### Mallification
With rising property values in the neighborhood, local stores began to be replaced by national chains in the neighborhood's commercial and entertainment nexus, Lake Street and Hennepin. The owners of the Uptown Bar first sold off their patio space for a Columbia Sportswear store to be built. Not long after, the bar itself was sold to make way for an Apple store. The loss of the bar was a loss for both the neighborhood and city, and further solidified the intersection's long turn from culturally vibrant and valuable to homogenized and mall-like.

### Making the shot
I had a pint glass from the bar that got broken, but kept the pieces with taking this photo in mind. I biked out there at about 3 am, assembled the glass pieces on a trashcan across the street and bracketed several exposures to get this shot. I cut my hand on the glass pretty bad so while I was counting down the seconds of exposure, blood was dripping down my arm! There was a cop nearby, talking to a drunk guy who hailed a taxi without any way of paying. I asked him for a bandaid from his first aid kit, but cops in this city apparently don't have first aid kits in their cars! He rummaged through the trunk of his squad car and instead offered me a warm, cheap beer from a case he probably confiscated from a teen party. I turned him down with a laugh and biked home.

<center>![Uptown Bar before demolition. Photo by Tom Wallace, Star Tribune](https://ipfs.pics/ipfs/QmSex1V1rwQW4hiouSmMykqjmMXRq4TVu2HQYFfcPkzpcc)
The Uptown Bar in its final days, from [Tom Wallace, Star Tribune](http://www.startribune.com/thanks-uptown-bar-we-had-a-blast/66980232/)</center>

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<sup>This is a repost, the original post has a broken image, and I can't edit it. This time I've used ipfs.pics to host the images. I have also edited the text and improved the formatting for better reading. I hope that editing of posts past-payout won't be disabled indefinitely. The original was posted amongst the Steemit turmoil of July 3rd and didn't reach much of an audience.</sup>

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