Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Richard Franzmeier

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Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Richard Franzmeier

Franzmeier, Richard

Saylor, Thomas

Created: 07/25/2007

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Richard Franzmeier was born in Neillsville, Wisconsin. He attended Luther College and Augsburg College. He eventually moved with his family to Richfield, where he became head bookkeeper at Richfield State Bank. He raised his children in Richfield and was very active in the American Field Service Committee, City Hall Committee, Rotary Club, and Optimists Club. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Bank's emphasis on employee's living in the community they worked in; changes in the bank since 1959; description of postwar houses; close-knit neighborhoods; importance of community activities in daily life; the idea of Richfield as a small town in a city; resistance to commercial and municipal development; recent demographic changes and division of the local community; Heart of Richfield - attempts to construct a downtown; resentment over tax-increment financing; rapid postwar expansion of schools; local retail development; membership of the Rotary Club; details of building onto the bank and opposition to it; stability of Richfield neighborhoods and social ties; failure of the idea to merge Richfield and Bloomington; makeup of tax base; high quality of Richfield schools during 1960s and 1970s and subsequent decline; strong city leadership; changing political trends; drawbacks of the highways for Richfield; need for Richfield's future to be tied in with another city.

Minnesota Digital Library

text

https://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10868649

Created: 07/25/2007

Minnesota Digital Library