Design : Development News

At the recent Bruner Loeb Forum in Minneapolis, a mix of speakers stressed numerous community development initiatives that take art into account in ways that are both concrete and philosophical.

The Bruner Loeb Forum, which originated at the Harvard Design School, is a biannual gathering that brings to the fore "innovative strategies from across the nation that leverage local engagement in art and design to build more equitable, more economically sustainable, and more connected neighborhoods and cities," according to program materials.

The two-day event in Minneapolis was titled, "Putting Creativity to Work: Stronger Communities through Locally Rooted Art and Design." As it unfolded at various local venues, it brought together a crowd of that included local and national designers, scholars, planners, artists, nonprofit representatives, government officials, and others, program materials state.

Juxtaposition Arts hosted the event in partnership with the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) and landscape architecture department, Nexus Community Partners, 4RM+ULA architecture, and Conway+Schulte Architects.

At the conference, speakers touched on everything from Houston's Project Row Houses to the ability of artists to turn around declining neighborhoods. Attendees toured the North and South Minneapolis neighborhoods, where Juxtaposition Arts and Native American Community Development Institute are working to improve the areas.

DeAnna Cummings, who heads Juxtaposition Arts with her husband, Roger, hopes people will get serious about addressing racial disparities. "They have to be addressed if we'll ever manifest our potential as a community," she says. "We all have to work together to change it."

She cites a couple of examples of the kind of creative problem-solving that came out of the exercise. In examining West Broadway Avenue North, from the Mississippi River to Penn Avenue North--as  part of a creative mapping activity--conference participants concluded that the plethora of youth-oriented programs is too poorly advertised, while artistic streetscape enhancements need to be more visible.

She says that the event's speakers discussed the importance of pulling together diverse groups of people to solve problems and build on opportunities. Instead of getting the best and brightest people, who tend to be like-minded, "more effective is a team that thinks differently, that envisions challenges through different lenses," she says.  

Cummings says she was impressed with the level of energy of conference-goers. While she and others are still "unpacking" the takeaways, follow-up events are in the works, including a Juxtaposition mural to go on Broadway and Emerson. Students will work with professional artist mentors "to bring what happened at the conference out onto the street."   

Source: DeAnna Cummings, Juxtaposition Arts
Writer: Anna Pratt

Sustainability, community, and technology are a few of the key words to describe the $5.2 million renovation of the Hennepin County Library-Northeast at 22nd and Central avenues northeast.

Nearly 300 people showed up for the library's grand re-opening on April 2, according to Lois Lenroot-Ernt, a spokesperson from the library capital division.

The library's collection of books, CDs, and DVDs has been "refreshed," while the physical space has been modernized, with some features that pay homage to its roots, she says.

It's one of a number of libraries that are being improved throughout the county system.

A big part of the Northeast library's major renovation involved revamping the 1973 bricks-and-mortar building, she says. But a portion of the building was removed to make way for a 2,400-square-foot addition, for 16,900 square feet altogether, according to library information.

Sustainability was an underlying theme for many aspects of the project. For example, the addition's exterior is covered with long-lasting zinc panels. The material "naturally maintains a protective patina and will self-repair imperfections and scratches over time," a prepared statement reads. A new stormwater management system on the building's roof also helps out  environmentally, while the lot has been landscaped with native plants.

Inside, the building has automated daylighting controls, while windows and mechanical systems have been replaced to be more energy efficient, according to library information. 

Lenroot-Ernt says community gathering spaces were a priority. As such, the renovated library has more spaces for reading, studying, and meeting, equipped for laptops and wifi access. Twenty-four computers have been added.  

She says the children and teen section allows for better browsing, with books available in bins, and there are some interactive components. Additionally, customer service points have been streamlined, she says.

Other aspects of the project incorporate details from the building's history. For starters, the wooden plank ceiling was kept, and was extended into the addition.

Near one entrance a cleaned-up concrete medallion, a library artifact, is displayed along with a pen and ink drawing of the original Carnegie library building; historic photos line the walls. Among Lenroot-Ernt's favorite additions are the occasional tables that a local woodworker crafted from an aging oak tree that had to be removed during construction.

All in all, the library's profile has been raised, she says, adding, "People can see it from Central Avenue and I think it's going to be a great asset for community members."

Source: Lois Lenroot-Ernt, spokesperson for capital division of Hennepin County Library
Writer: Anna Pratt

Videotect, Architecture Minnesota magazine's first-ever video contest, inspired everything from a 3D battle rap to a History Channel-style spoof documentary about skyways. 

The contest got people of all ages and backgrounds thinking about what the skyways mean to them and what impact they have in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, and other areas.

It drew 24 submissions from people who worked in teams of one to six people, according to Chris Hudson, who edits the magazine, which the American Institute of Architects Minnesota publishes. 

While architects are often critical of skyways because they take away from the life of the street, "We were surprised that when we opened it up to non-architects how much people celebrated the skyways," he says.

The results came at a sold-out screening at the Walker Art Center on March 31.

A team led by Jim Davy, which produced a highly stylized video clip showing a progression of walkers through a skyway that leads to nowhere, was the grand prizewinner, receiving $1,000. Three other teams, one named IDE[A], the others led by Benjamin Lindau and James Tucker, got Honorable Mention in this category, along with $500 apiece.   

The Tucker entry, which also received the Viewer's Choice Award and the $1,000 prize, imagined a future wherein global cooling had pushed people out of the northern climes. "Once the glaciers retreat they come back and find the skyways," he says.

The contest seemed to hit a nerve. "A lot of smart people came forward and got what we were after, with thought-provoking commentary on an architectural topic."  

Besides the 350 seats that were filled at the Walker, 1,600 people cast a vote online between March 7 and 18.

The crowd that was "way into it," he says, adding, "There was a lot of noise from the crowd, laughing, cheering and whistling."  
 

Source: Chris Hudson, Architecture Minnesota editor
Writer: Anna Pratt

Watch the Grand Prize winner:

Jim Davy, Pete Mikelson, Steve Berg, Danny Sim, and Steve Busse from Architecture Minnesota on Vimeo.

To improve downtown Minneapolis, Nicollet Mall needs more public gathering spaces.

That was the premise of a March 7-11 workshop involving graduate students from the University of Minnesota's College of Design.

Their plans, which will be presented to city officials next month, will help inform new ways of thinking about the walkable avenue.  

Lance LaVine, an architecture professor in the school who was on hand at the workshop all week, says that modern-day architecture hasn't been good about designing public open space. "It has been what's left over after a building is built," he says.

He says the same is true of Nicollet Mall, which he describes as a "residual street," with all of the Metro Transit buses running through as an afterthought.

The point of this workshop was to change that, he explains.

To do so, students broke into four groups, using the IDS Center's Crystal Court, on Nicollet Mall and 8th Street, as their workspace. They examined four different segments of Nicollet Mall stretching from 12th Street to the Mississippi River.  

Instead of looking at the street lengthwise like typical urban planners would, students studied both sides of Nicollet. Additionally, they took advantage of existing developments, such as Orchestra Hall and Crystal Court. As a result, "Instead of the redesign being one thing, it became four different things," he says.    

For example, one group imagined a series of new buildings to enliven the voids from 5th Street to the river. It's an area that needs buildings and they "should go in, in a way that creates public open spaces," says LaVine.

They also brought the skyway to the edge of the street.

Another group inserted a new public space that crossed the mall, between 8th and 10th streets, with both indoor and outdoor features, while the segment stretching from 10th to 12th streets became an extension of the greenway and Loring Park.  

Although Minneapolis is rich in cultural amenities, says LaVine, it's a third-tier architecture city. To make it a first-tier architecture city, "Nicollet is the key."  


Source: Lance LaVine, architecture professor, College of Design's School of Architecture, University of Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt

Right now a good portion of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts in downtown Minneapolis is still under construction, but much of the structural work is done. 

The $40 million project brings together the Hennepin Center for the Arts and the former Shubert Theater, with a newly constructed atrium connecting the two historic buildings.

It's complementary to the Hennepin Theatre District, which includes several historic theaters farther down Hennepin Avenue. 

Construction at the center started January 2010 and will continue through this summer, while a grand opening is planned for September 2011, according to Troy Linck, a center spokesperson, who adds that its progress is being documented on its website and on social media sites.

The Cowles Center includes a 500-seat theater in the renovated Shubert building and a new Entry Hall, while all kinds of arts programming will continue to operate in the renovated Hennepin Center for the Arts space. "It'll be a diverse experience walking through the three-building campus."   

For starters, the historic Shubert theater, which moved from 1st Avenue to Block E over a decade ago, is being fully refurbished. "A lot of stuff needed serious work," he says, including a reconstruction of the balconies.

Although the design is intended to respect the historic structure, because the Shubert was gutted previously, the renovated building will be quite state-of-the-art, he says.

At this point, most of the concrete work in the building is done. "Workers are framing out the walls and sheetrocking as we speak," he says.

Similarly, inside the new lobby and atrium, where the box office will go, "you can get a feel for the space when you go in now, instead of it being a big empty room," he says.

The education center on the second floor of the atrium has a spacious dance studio and rehearsal area that'll be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Through its distance-learning program, dance experts teach classes that are recorded and streamed to viewers outside the room, live--a feature that's unique to the center. "There really isn't any other program like it," Linck says.   

At the same time, a big picture window will offer passersby a view of rehearsals. It's just another way of demonstrating that "dance at the center is living and breathing," he says.

Additionally, offices throughout the Hennepin Center for the Arts part of the complex are undergoing plenty of cosmetic improvements. "Tenants are excited," he says. "The space looks better and everything feels sharpened up."

Source: Troy Linck, spokesperson for the Cowles Center for Dance and Performing Arts 
Writer: Anna Pratt

Some local business leaders are pushing for a new central park in downtown Minneapolis that would connect with the Mississippi River.

David Wilson, a managing director at Accenture's Minneapolis office, who presented the concept to the city's park board on Feb. 16, says that the group, which includes many business leaders from the Downtown Improvement District plus other downtowners, hopes to make the area a more "stroll-able, pedestrian-friendly green core."

The multifaceted plan, which is still in conceptual stages, involves a new park north of the Central Library that would link with the neighboring Cancer Survivors Park.

Linear components would stretch from the light rail stop at 5th Street and Marquette Avenue to Hennepin Avenue and head east, forming a green corridor that leads into a park near the riverfront.

The three-phase project will probably take 10 years to fulfill, with the earliest stage to acquire and develop property near the library costing $8 to $10 million, he says.

However, it's a much-needed amenity. While there's plenty of green space across the city, "there's a greater demand for green space"  downtown, especially with 35,000 downtown residents. 

In his view, the central park could be a place for a city Christmas tree or menorah, block parties, skating, and other activities that would encourage people to "get more connected with street life."     

Wilson says that interest and passion for investing in outdoor green spaces and parks has gone from low to extremely high over just the past few years, with projects such as the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition and the revamping of Peavey Plaza. 

On top of that, Nicollet Mall is due for a renovation in the near future while the park plan is being rolled into the Downtown Improvement District strategic plan for 2025.

Wilson says he and others are realizing that "this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change the face of downtown."

Source: David Wilson, Accenture managing director in Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt

Community members can help inform artistic designs that will go into each Central Corridor light rail station.

The Metropolitan Council is asking for input from the public about what defines the locale for each light rail station.  

Coming up next is a community meeting on March 1, to get feedback on the area surrounding the planned Western Avenue station in St. Paul. The Metropolitan Council has been holding meetings on a station-by-station basis. People can also comment online.

Early design concepts will be presented in the coming weeks, according to council information.  

Construction of the 11-mile Central Corridor, which will connect the downtowns of St. Paul and Minneapolis, starts in March. The line is planned to open in 2014.  

Laura Baenen, a spokesperson for the project, says the council wants to hear from people about the area's heritage, culture, and history, or, "something significant to the area, what it's known for."

The community's input will be "food for thought in the creative process," she says.  

For example, in a public meeting earlier this month about the Victoria Street station, the Rondo neighborhood's historic ties to the railroads and silent movies came up.

Ice castles are being worked into the 10th Street station design, paying homage to long-ago ice palaces, Baenen says, and the oak trees near the Fairview Avenue stop will show up through some kind of an oak-and-acorn motif.  

Creative ideas will be integrated into the station design from the beginning, unlike many projects in which artist-designed pavers or handrails are added as decorations. Art "won't be an afterthought," says Baenen. "It won't be attached later."

Whatever the form, it needs to stand up to the elements. "We want it to be both functional and durable," she says.

Source: Laura Baenen, Central Corridor spokesperson
Writer: Anna Pratt

Following an intense weekend of information-gathering and design, six local nonprofits are armed with concrete materials to start making redevelopment and remodeling projects a reality.

The Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is an annual workshop that offers up pro bono design labor to local nonprofit agencies working in affordable housing and homelessness.   
 
This year's event, which ran Feb. 11-13 at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, attracted 42 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students, who split into six teams, according to Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative. 

Participating nonprofits, which were selected through a competitive process, this year included the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, Selby Avenue Action Coalition, Emma Norton Services, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities, Families Moving Forward, and Woodland Hills Church.
 
One team worked on a plan for the Emma Norton facility downtown St. Paul, according to Peck.

Some volunteers studied the possibility of building out a coffee shop on the shelter's ground floor.  

They walked around the area to assess the potential market for a new coffee shop. Nearby were clinics and businesses, but there wasn't much in the way of restaurants or food services, she says.

Besides filling a business niche, an in-house coffee shop could be a source of revenue for Emma Norton while providing jobs for women staying at the shelter, she explains.  
 
Another couple of teams brainstormed ways to improve some blocks along Selby Avenue between Dale and Lexington avenues in St. Paul. As a part of a project for the Selby Avenue Coalition, they came up with a jazz theme that ties into an annual festival that could have "more of a year-round presence through art or images or music studios."
 
Both teams "captured the spirit of the street through design and research," Peck says.  
   
For the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, a roomful of mattresses on the floor was reconfigured with bunk beds that give people more personal space, including storage cabinets. Keeping sightlines clear while also providing a secure place for people's belongings was important, she explains.    
 
She says the volunteers received plenty of praise from the nonprofits and "they're excited to take the next step."
 
Likewise, the vast majority of volunteers responded positively, saying they would do it again. "I think it was a good event for the volunteers as well as the agencies," Peck says. 

Source: Jacquelyn Peck, AIA-Minnesota representative
Writer: Anna Pratt 
 

The trade magazine Architecture Minnesota is holding a video contest about the winter-proof skyways that wind around both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

People are being asked to put together a short film that captures their reactions to the uniquely Midwest-styled footbridges, explains Architecture Minnesota editor Chris Hudson. Anyone can apply to the contest, which has a Feb. 25 deadline.

The video contest is a way for the print magazine to "invite a wider sample of thoughts about the built environment," explains Hudson.

While not everyone can write architectural criticism, which the magazine publishes, many people can put together a two-to-four-minute video with whatever equipment is on hand, that "captures their experience of architecture." He says the skyways are a good subject for discussing the built environment because reactions to them are so mixed.  
For example, some architects say they take away from the life of the street. "Draining people from the sidewalks," he says, "they say they kill street life." But others find convenience and comfort in the skyways. For them it's a major plus to be inside a safe skyway and not on the street, especially when it's cold. The skyways also afford unique "small aerial" views of the street.  

On March 7-18 entries will be on the website for people to vote on. A $1,000 prize will be awarded to the jury's winner during a presentation on March 31 at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis while several honorable mention recipients will get $500. Additionally, online voters, combined with the audience at the Walker, will pick a viewers' choice award winner, who will also receive $1,000.

The magazine hopes it strikes up an ongoing public dialogue about the built environment. "I think it's a good exercise," Hudson says, adding, "It's a way to reach out to new readers."   

"We hope we get surprising perspectives on the skyway," he says. "We're getting a lot of enthusiasm from a wide array of people."

Source: Chris Hudson, Architecture Minnesota editor
Writer: Anna Pratt

The historic Northrop building, which hosts various performing arts, concerts, academic ceremonies, and civic events on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, is undergoing a major retooling of its function and form.

The $80.8 million revitalization project that the Board of Regents approved on Feb. 11 represents much more than a renovation, explains Steven Rosenstone, who serves as the university's vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs.

In 2006 the university took steps to stabilize and restore the 1929 building's exterior, which factors into the total cost, according to Rosenstone.

For too long, the Northrop has been on borrowed time, he says. He refers to a 2005 report that states, "No aspect of the building is without issue." It has problems with its heating and electrical systems, air flow, drinking water, elevators and more, he explains.

Rather than just fixing the building, which would be more expensive, "The idea was, let's rethink it to be a more vital and valuable resource to the university and Minnesota," he says. "It has to work for the 21st century in a way it doesn't right now."    

Where in the past the university only used the place 51 days a year, mainly at night, it'll be used to house several programs including the University Honors Program, Institute for Advanced Study, and Innovation by Design. Additionally, it'll provide for collaboration and study, with a global conference center, premium seminar and meeting rooms and a caf�, according to university information.  

Memorial Auditorium will be completely restored and become a "vastly superior performance space," seating 2,800 people, which is down from 4,800.

A team of historic preservationists that includes designers and architects are behind the project, including some people who led the restoration of several other old buildings on campus.

The building, which will soon be under construction, is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2013. "It'll be a very thoughtful design" for a  "spectacular building."    
 

Source: Steven Rosenstone, vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs at the University of Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt

When the TLS/KVA team of landscape architects and designers strolled a 5.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River starting at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis and heading north, they climbed over fences to get a better view of the landscape. It almost got them arrested for trespassing. 

TLS/KVA is a partnership between the Berkeley-based Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture from Boston.

Sheila Kennedy, one of the team members leading the charge, says too much of the river is off the beaten track. "We felt the river edge is where people should be," adding, "It's so difficult to get there now."   

TLS/KVA, which has a partnership with nine local firms, was announced as the winner of the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition on Feb. 10. The contest, jointly held by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design, solicited proposals from four finalist teams from across the globe.

TLS/KVA stood out for its proposal, titled RiverFIRST, which focuses on water, health, mobility and green economy.

The goals were to re-establish the parks as an economic engine for development and make the river�one of the three great rivers of the world�a connector, not a divider, and reorient the city around that focus, according to contest project manager Mary DeLaittre.    

Whether it's about rediscovering the Northside Wetlands or establishing floating "habitat islands" that happen to be formed from recycled water bottles, "RiverFIRST design initiatives function at multiple scales to link larger natural, social, civic, and economic ecologies and raise citizen awareness about the impacts of consumer choices on the Upper Mississippi River," a prepared statement reads.  

TLS/KVA will be awarded a riverfront parks commission, the details of which will be determined over the course of a four-month transitional phase.

 
Source: Sheila Kennedy, KVA, Mary DeLaittre, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Right now, oslund.and.assoc., a local landscape architecture firm, is collecting input both in person and online about what the redesign of Peavey Plaza should entail. This week the firm, which the city hired, led a visioning session with members of the public at Orchestra Hall.  
 
Peavey Plaza is an amphitheater and fountain on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The 1975 concrete plaza, which New York landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg designed, is frequently used for outdoor concerts in the warmer months. But its mechanical system is giving out while other areas are also showing signs of wear and tear. 

Oslund.and.assoc. is taking the time to find out about how people use the plaza and what they like and dislike about it, explains Tadd Kreun, a landscape architect at the firm who is working on the project. At this early stage, he says, "It would be premature to form design concepts until we know the pulse of the community and the users." 

Some parts of the plaza could be left intact, or it could get a whole new look.

In March the firm will come back with some design alternatives at an open house. Final designs will come out in the summer while the groundbreaking is slated for spring 2012.

Kreun says the firm, which also designed Gold Medal Park alongside the Guthrie Theater, and Target Field's Target Plaza, has had Peavey Plaza on its radar for a couple years. "Peavey Plaza is obviously a huge iconic space in downtown Minneapolis," he says. "It's a great opportunity to work on a marquee space."  

The plaza is being updated in conjunction with the $40 million expansion of the neighboring Orchestra Hall. But the $5 million or $6 million plaza project will require some fundraising, according to Kreun.

One of the firm's partners, New York-based HR&A Advisors, is looking at ways to make it sustainable economically or "help self-fund itself," he says. 

Source: Tadd Kreun, landscape architect, oslund.and.assoc.  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Coming up with inspiring visions for reconnecting the city of Minneapolis to the Mississippi River--one of three great rivers in the world--is no easy task, but that's just what the contestants in the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition set out to do.

The four finalist teams, which were chosen in November, are competing for a commission to redesign 220 acres of parkland along the Mississippi, starting near the Stone Arch Bridge and pushing the city's northern boundary.  

They presented their plans to an audience of over 400 people at the Walker Art Center last week, while another 200 viewers watched online. A winner will be announced Feb. 10.  

Mary deLaittre, the contest's project manager, who is also the founder and principal of Groundwork City Building, says each design was impressive.

For starters, the New York City-based Ken Smith Workshop's plan "clearly walked people along the river," she says, adding, "That was the strongest element. It gave a clear concept of the parks along the river." 

Boston's Stoss Landscape Urbanism had a clear understanding that "we need to reclaim and redefine the river quickly," while the firm also recognized the importance of marketing and branding the endeavor in unique ways.

Likewise, TLS/KVA out of Berkeley, Calif., "distinguished themselves with an innovative, comprehensive and integrated approach," that included a considerable amount of community engagement.

The group touched on topics such as health, mobility and green economy, educating people about consumer impacts on the river.

Last, Turenscape team members who come from Beijing, China, "really outdid themselves with a quality video that looks at the river over 50 years." 

Although each team was paid $30,000, deLaittre says, individually the teams put in another $250,000 in time, expertise and production--hard work that will have lasting value. 

Video footage of their presentations can be seen on the project website, where there's also a form for submitting feedback.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and Minneapolis Parks Foundation cosponsored the contest along with creative partners, the Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design.
 

Source: Mary deLaittre, project manager, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition and founder and principal for Groundwork City Building 
Writer: Anna Pratt

As a part of the 25th annual Search for Shelter Charrette through the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a group of architects and designers will come up with design solutions to address various affordable housing and homelessness issues. 

The workshop at the University of Minnesota's College of Design, which goes from Feb. 11 to 13, is the only one of its kind throughout the AIA network, according to event information.

Jacquelyn Peck, a Minnesota AIA representative, explains that about 50 volunteer architects, landscape and interior designers, and students who turn out for the weekend will break into eight-person teams. The teams are then individually assigned to a handful of different projects. 

Nonprofit organizations apply to participate in the event through a competitive process, she says.  

The event includes opening remarks from Minnesota chapter president Steve Fiskum, a panel discussion with area housing experts, and presentations from the selected nonprofits. 

Afterward, teams meet with nonprofits to go over more details. They spend the day visiting sites, developing designs, and creating accompanying images. To help the nonprofits get going on the projects, "We give them a weekend of intense design, with boards and images," Peck says.

She describes the event as a springboard to "get [nonprofits'] ideas down into something tangible so they can talk about it and educate others with."

On Sunday at noon, the teams present their work as part of a program that's open to the public.     
 
Past projects have centered on everything from connecting scattered affordable housing sites to remodeling homeless-shelter lobbies.

One project that has been a success, starting off at the design charrette in 2008, is the revamped facility for YouthLink, which provides services to homeless youth. "They took images and got funding to do the remodeling and addition work," Peck says, adding, that the facility re-opened a few months ago.  


Source: Jacquelyn Peck, representative of the Minnesota chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Writer: Anna Pratt

Over the past 30 years, the St. Anthony Falls Historic District in Minneapolis, which testifies to the city's origin in milling and trade and includes the Mississippi River's main waterfall, has seen marked changes.

Developments have sprung up and ideas about preservation have evolved. No longer is restoration simply about saving and reusing buildings or properties, while there's more information about the area's history now than there was only a few decades ago.  

Accordingly, the historic district's 1980 design guidelines have gotten out of date. They're limited in that they only address "architectural standards for new building construction based on a series of discrete sub-districts" and don't account for the falls and the river and other landscape features, plus archaeology and industrial uses, according to city information.   

In response, the city is calling for professional services to help get new guidelines in place that are in keeping with the times and take a more holistic view of the area.  

Brian Schaffer, a senior city planner for Minneapolis, explains via email that the new design guidelines will provide a framework to evaluate alterations and new construction within the district, which is historic according to local, state, and federal standards.

The guidelines will help "evaluate and review project proposals such as the restoration of the falls or the construction of new buildings," he says, citing several projects underway along the riverfront, including a proposal to reinterpret the falls on the river's eastern edge. As they come up, "proposed projects would have to comply with the regulations developed in the new design guidelines," he says.


Source: Brian Schaffer, senior city planner for Minneapolis
Writer: Anna Pratt