Bob Dylan Walking Tour

This tour was developed by staff at the Hibbing Public Library. It takes you along a path that was once walked by Bob Dylan. Photographs of Feldman's, L&B Café, the Synagogue, and the Alice School are the property of Aubin Photo Studio in Hibbing. The walk starts at the building that was Zimmerman Electric and ends at the Androy, the site of Bob's Bar Mitzvah celebration. 

This walking tour is approximately 1.9 miles.

Walking Tour Map (PDF)

  1. Zimmerman Furniture and Electric - 1925 5th Avenue E (Excel Business Systems)
    In 1941, Maurice and Paul Zimmerman purchased Micka Electric. Bob's father, Abe, joined the company in 1947 and became the secretary/treasurer. As a teen, Bob worked at the store. Helping with deliveries was one of his jobs.
  2. Hibbing Bowling Center - 1929 5th Avenue E
    The 1955-56 teenage bowling competition was won by a group called the Gutter Boys. Bob was one of the 6 team members. Second from the left is Bob Zimmerman.
  3. L & B Café - 417 E Howard
    Bob and girlfriend Echo, would spend time at the L&B after school. They smoked cigarettes and played the juke box. Bob's favorite order was cherry pie a la mode.
  4. Feldman's Department Store - 403-05 E Howard (Bender's)
    Bob's mother, Beatty, worked at Feldman's. Nancy Peterson (she once competed against Bob at a talent show and beat him) worked with Beatty. "She recalls the day in '62 or '63 when the owner made this announcement: "This is R. W Feldman. We have a celebrity in woman's wear-Mr. Bob Die-lynn."" Star Tribune, September 25, 2005, p. F8
  5. Crippa Music - 313 E Howard (Rupar Music)
    During the noon hour and after school Bob was known to stop by Crippa's and charge sheet music and records to Abe's account.
  6. Stone's Clothing - 102 E Howard (China Buffet)
    During Bob's childhood, Stone's clothing was run by his Grandma Florence and Uncle Lewis.
  7. Lybba Theatre - 2135 1st Avenue (Sunrise Deli Lybba Restaurant)
    The Lybba was named after Lybba Edelstein, wife of Hibbing's pioneer showman, B. H. Edelstein. Lybba Edelstein's daughter was Florence Edelstein Stone; Florence's daughter is Beatty Stone Zimmerman, and Beatty's oldest son is of course Robert Allen Zimmerman.
  8. Agudath Achim Synagogue - 2320 2nd Avenue W
    The Agudath Achim congregation bought the Swedish Evangelical Emanuel Lutheran church from the Oliver Mining Co. and had it moved from North Hibbing. Most of the time it had no clergy, but the Zimmerman family would attend services when conducted by a rabbi from Duluth.
  9. Alice Grade School - 2300 2nd Avenue E (playground and parking lot)
    Bob attended the Alice School. "He thinks the ringing of the recess bell means time to go home. It takes a few extra trips to figure out how very long the school day is." Engel, David. Just Like Bob Zimmerman's Blues. Page 56.
  10. Memorial Building - 400 E 23rd Street
    Bob performed in the Little Theatre and the lobby. One of his memories of the building recorded in Chronicles, Volume One Pages 43-44, is having professional wrestler Gorgeous George wink at him while he was playing from a makeshift platform in the lobby.
  11. Zimmerman Residence - 2425 7th Avenue E
    A two story, wood framed, flat roofed, stucco house and an example of the Mediterranean Modern style that could be found all over Hibbing in 1947. On the first floor there was the usual kitchen, bathroom, dining and living room with a fireplace. Upstairs, a hallway connected three bedrooms.
  12. Hibbing High School - 800 E 21st Street
    Bob's high school teachers generally remember him as being quiet. This is probably why his first performance on the high school stage was such a shock. May 1959, Bob sat with 424 other graduates in that same high school auditorium.
  13. Hibbing Public Library - 2020 E 5th Avenue
    The library's Dylan Collection includes books, newspaper and magazine articles, movies, music, posters, and many other items. There is also a small permanent exhibit on the lower level.
  14. Androy Hotel - 502 E Howard Street
    Bob's Bar Mitzvah Celebration was held at the Androy with about 400 people attending. Many relatives were present. They had old country names like Zigman Zimmerman, Chana Greenstein, Shabsie Solemovits, and Lybba Edelstein.