Nina Clifford
Encyclopedia
From 1889 to 1929 Nina Clifford ran a brothel
under the streets of Saint Paul, Minnesota
. She was the most famous madam
in Minnesota history , both because of her success and for the ingenuity she showed in attracting customers. A small cave-complex was built underground, linking the prestigious and exclusive Minnesota Club with Ms. Clifford's secret brothel to allow her clients the privacy they required.
Her real name was Hannah Crow and she was born in Canada
of Irish immigrant parents. Her family moved to Detroit, Michigan
where she married a man named Conrad Steinbrecher. Widowed in 1886 at the age of 35, she moved to St. Paul. Her brothel was neither secret nor in a cave. She had a beautiful red brick building on Washington Street which was then the sin district of St. Paul. The waiting area featured crystal chandeliers and Mumm's champagne was served. She ran the business personally until her death in 1929 at the age of 78. The house was destroyed in 1933, but its foundations were discovered and excavated by an archeological team when the new foundations were being dug for the Minnesota Science Museum. The infamous tunnel to the Minnesota Club is a persistent legend, but has never been proved. Nina died in Detroit while visiting family, and is buried there in Mount Elliott Cemetery.
Ms. Clifford was memorialized in the 1980s with a play, and then a musical, about her antics. It was entitled Nina! Madam to a Saintly City.
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
under the streets of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. She was the most famous madam
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
in Minnesota history , both because of her success and for the ingenuity she showed in attracting customers. A small cave-complex was built underground, linking the prestigious and exclusive Minnesota Club with Ms. Clifford's secret brothel to allow her clients the privacy they required.
Her real name was Hannah Crow and she was born in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
of Irish immigrant parents. Her family moved to Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
where she married a man named Conrad Steinbrecher. Widowed in 1886 at the age of 35, she moved to St. Paul. Her brothel was neither secret nor in a cave. She had a beautiful red brick building on Washington Street which was then the sin district of St. Paul. The waiting area featured crystal chandeliers and Mumm's champagne was served. She ran the business personally until her death in 1929 at the age of 78. The house was destroyed in 1933, but its foundations were discovered and excavated by an archeological team when the new foundations were being dug for the Minnesota Science Museum. The infamous tunnel to the Minnesota Club is a persistent legend, but has never been proved. Nina died in Detroit while visiting family, and is buried there in Mount Elliott Cemetery.
Ms. Clifford was memorialized in the 1980s with a play, and then a musical, about her antics. It was entitled Nina! Madam to a Saintly City.
External links
- Gangster St. Paul at historictraveler.away.com
- RochesterMN.com: Circle of Parents at www.rochestermn.com
- FSTS 21RA32 Washington Street Residential District at www.fromsitetostory.org