Gold Medal Flour ad hidden for 110 years restored on south Minneapolis home
Vintage Gold Medal Flour sign restored on Minneapolis house
A project to preserve a piece of the past in South Minneapolis is finally finished. Last summer, Leigh Johnson and her husband were removing the siding on their Minnehaha Avenue home when they discovered a giant, 100-year-old advertisement for Gold Medal Flour hidden underneath.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A South Minneapolis couple’s home improvement project turned into a mission to save a piece of Mill City history.
Discovery of a hidden Gold Medal Flour ad sparks preservation effort
What we know:
Leigh Johnson and her husband discovered a giant Gold Medal Flour advertisement last summer while removing siding from their house on Minnehaha Avenue. The ad had been concealed under tar paper and siding for more than a century.
The couple learned their home had once been a neighborhood grocery store before it was moved to its current spot and converted into a single-family residence in 1915.
"Honestly, I thought we would find like some old raccoon skeletons or something. You know, I didn't think we'd find something like this," said Leigh Johnson.
Neighbors and the community rally to restore the vintage advertisement
Why you should care:
The Johnsons launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the restoration, and General Mills contributed to the project. They carefully removed the boards, weatherproofed the wall, and reinstalled the boards to preserve the iconic ad for future generations.
"The community's kind of rallied around it. People stop us when we're out for walks and say how much they love having this in the neighborhood and being able to see it," said Johnson.
The project has brought neighbors together, turning a simple renovation into a celebration of local history. The Johnson’s are grateful for the support and excited to share the finished result with the community.
A second sign remains hidden to preserve its condition
Local perspective:
There is a similar vintage sign on the other side of the house, but the Johnsons have chosen to keep it covered with siding to protect it from the sun and prevent fading.
"It's great to see it finished. It's been a really long journey," said Johnson. "You know, you never know what you're going to find in an old house. But this was really beyond my expectations of what you can find."