THE HIPPOGRIFF
Attached to the 450 Building in Shelard Park (on the walkway between the 400 Building and the Tower) was the Hippogriff Restaurant, “A Very Important Bar Restaurant.”
A Hippogriff is apparently a griffin-headed winged horse.
Burton Grossman of the Grossman Chevrolet family was the owner of the Hippogriff.
Ads for help for the new restaurant were first placed in November 1973. It opened in December 1973. In April 1974 Will Jones wrote a column about the still-new restaurant, which advertised a non-smoking section that turned out not to exist.
The restaurant was designed by John Neal, Associate Project Corp. of Minneapolis, and won an Institutions/VFM Magazine’s Interior Award.
Karin Winegar in the Minneapolis Star described it like this (May 4, 1979):
With its hovering umbrella-dome ceiling, cushy chairs, bloated booth upholstery, inviting copper and earth tones and tasteful Victoriana, the Hippogriff has a familiar singles-den formula. The Hippogriff is also one of the largest nightclubs in the Midwest. It’s quite comfortable but not highly sensual, much like Maximillian’s in Bloomington (they were designed by the same person)… The quality of the bands varies, but they share a format: jazz and ’40s tunes through the dinner hour evolve at about 9:30 each night into slightly thick but danceable renditions of the top 40 disco tunes and soft rock. The incongruity of the Hippogriff is that it looks disco-esque, but it lacks a disco’s energized atmosphere. Consequently, the haute disco dance troops are elsewhere….On the Hippogriff dance floor, for example, a form of post-Woodstock freestyle predominates, and much of the night traffic consists of baby-fat-coated children of the middle class.
With the story is a picture of the band Parade, but newspaper photos are too dark to be reproduced, unfortunately.
NATIONAL ACTS AT THE HIPPOGRIFF
On August 18, 1974, comedian David Frye was booked as the club’s first big act. Coincidentally, it was on the eve of the House of Representative’s debate of the impeachment of President Richard Nixon, whom Frye was famous for impersonating. If Nixon went, Frye’s career was in mortal danger! (Minneapolis Tribune, August 3, 1974) By the time the date came, Nixon had resigned, and Will Jones’ review revealed a nervous David Frye, but the Hippogriff itself (200 diners and 400 drinks-only patrons) scored high marks. (Minneapolis Tribune, September 8, 1984)
Duke Ellington, January 26, 1975. The band was led by Duke’s son Mercer Ellington.
David Brenner, February 23, 1975. Brenner was a veteran of about 30 Tonight Show appearances, and Will Jones deemed his show at the Hippogriff nothing more than chitchat worthy of a warmup show. But the audience ate it up. (Minneapolis Tribune, March 1, 1975)
George Gobel, March 16, 1975.
Oliver, April 21, 1975
Steve Martin, September 28, 1975. Martin’s debut in the ‘Cities was a warmup act for the Carpenters at Orchestra Hall in May 1975. He performed at the Hippogriff three times since then at the Hippogriff before 1978, according to Jon Bream.
Woody Herman, October 12, 1975
Stan Kenton and His Artistry in Rhythm Orchestra, February 13, 1977
Henny Youngman, November 13, 1977
George Shearing, April 9, 1978
Henny Youngman, October 8 and 9, 1978. At the October 8 show, 73-year-old Youngman fainted and fell from the stage onto some padded chairs during the first of his two shows and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital for examination. Both shows that night were cancelled and Youngman was fine. He attributed the fall to lack of sleep and jet lag.
Buddy Rich, September 23, 1979
New Apex Orchestra (of Former Wolverines), December 7 and 23, 1979
LOCAL BANDS AT THE HIPPOGRIFF:
- Spangle
- Parade
- Mardi Gras
- BeBopper and the Chantilles
- Free and Easy
- Gypsy
- Rockin’ Hollywoods
- Good Vibrations
- Festival
- Nightingale
- XL5
- Fragile
- Rio
THE HIPPOGRIFF FIGURES IN MURDER TRIAL
On October 3, 1977, someone came to the home of newlywed Susan Rosenthal while her husband was out of town and stabbed her 98 times. With black spray paint, in Susan’s house and on houses in the neighborhood, was written ” There will be more” and “You are next.”
Suspicion was immediately pointed to June Marie Mikulanec, described as a former girlfriend of the victim’s new husband, Allen Rosenthal. June’s alibi was that she was at the Hippogriff, where she met a man named Phil, new to the Twin Cities. They went to a nearby McDonald’s, and came back to the club to talk until 1 am.
June was arrested on October 7, 1977, and examined by psychiatrists. Under truth serum she revealed that she talked to God, Jesus, and other deities, and what really happened is that she and Phil went to Susan’s house, where Phil stabbed Susan and made June stab Susan five times or he would kill June too.
June was revealed to be an uncontrolled liar, and was put on trial in August 1978. October 3, 1977, was a slow night at the Hippogriff, and none of the staff remembered her there. Directions to Susan’s house and cans of spray paint were found in her car. Phil was one of many, many people and things she made up. The jury had two findings to make: Did June Mikulanec murder Susan Rosenthal? Answer: Yes. Was she in her right mind when she did it? Answer: No. She was found Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Illness and sent to State facilities for the criminally mentally ill.
THE CURIOUS END OF THE HIPPOGRIFF
The Hippogriff closed without notice on July 31, 1980, leaving some with reservations for wedding receptions out in the cold, reported the Minneapolis Tribune on September 4, 1980. Burt Grossman was said to be “on vacation” an unavailable for comment.
PAULINE’S
The Hippogriff subsequently became Pauline’s, which was owned by brothers Richard and Paul Mans, who had a similar restaurant in Brainerd. A 1981 ad says “Starting July 6, dance to the music of Areca, Oui Four and Visions. Pauline’s: What a Nice Surprise!”
