Rice Street Community

Located in the North End neighborhood, Rice Street began as a commercial corridor that served Saint Paul’s working class.

Rice Street is unassuming; when it was rushed into being more than a century ago, there was no time for ornamentation or ostentation. Despite its utilitarian appearance, Rice Street has a character that is unique to the street and the North End.

Who is Henry Rice

Henry Rice (1816-94) was a footloose Yankee brought to St. Paul by the fur trade. He settled here in 1849 and quickly made a fortune, chiefly in real estate.

Then he went into politics, where he served as a Territorial representative to Congress (1853-57), and then (1857-63) as one of Minnesota’s first U.S. senators.

Rice served also as a regent of the University of Minnesota, president of the Minnesota Historical Society, and treasurer of Ramsey County. Rice County, Rice Park (he donated the land), and Rice Street bear his name. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery.