Dwell digs redlurered
A house rehab designed by Minneapolis-based redlurered is featured in the April issue of Dwell. "Keep Your Eye on the Balto" tells the story of entrepreneur Greg Martin's renovation of a "mustard-yellow brick building in Minneapolis' Whittier neighborhood." After months and months of demo work, Martin was left with 2,600 square feet of emptiness in the Balto Building. Not knowing what to do next, he hired redlurered, who came up with a plan for the living spaces.

The Dwell article isn't online, so instead of just summarzing the piece, I asked Martha McQuade of redlurered a few questions about the project. "The concept was to remove all of the interior elements to expose the overall volume of space, and then what was put back in was concentrated in the middle, away from the exterior walls," McQuade says. "This allows the long, tall proportion of the existing building to be read on the interior. It also takes maximum advantage of the existing windows which are quite large and have a tall narrow proportion."

Light colored wood and translucent polycarbonate were chosen for the walls, partitions and lofted floor space. "The idea was to make the insertion feel like a light colored piece of furniture in the space -- as if it were placed there, not attached to the structure)," McQuade says. The designers on the project were Connie Lindor and Scott Muellner, also of redlurered.

This is a project I'd love to see in person. Maybe someday.

UM to host design conference
This conference looks great, but I'm feeling a bit weary from all the recent writing, so I'll just quote the press release: "The University of Minnesota will host 14 of the most celebrated design thinkers from the United States and Europe on April 27 and 28 for an international conference on the state of contemporary design discourse. In complementary sessions, the conference will focus on Minneapolis’ new public architecture and new curatorial directions at major international museums.

The conference, “Design and Its Publics: Curators, Critics, and Historians” (DAIP) brings together leading scholars, top critics, broadcasters and design practitioners with curators from some of the most influential museums in the United States, London and the Netherlands to address how public understanding of architecture and design is shaped by criticism, scholarship and curatorial practice." For more information, click here.

Historic Saint Paul: Singh lecture and new neighborhood guides
Using a fancy computer program, Paul Singh, a UM grad student at the Humphrey Institute, will present an analysis of St. Paul's potential for future historic preservation. Sponsored by Historic Saint Paul (which seems to be the proper way to spell St. Paul when you want to emphasize its historic nature), Singh's presentation is scheduled for noon on April 10 in Room 326 at Landmark Center. In noodling around the Historic Saint Paul website, I found three cool guides the nonprofit has produced on the West Side, Payne Avenue and East Side to Lowertown. These informative guides are available as PDFs here or by calling (651) 222-3049. The guide to the West Side answers the question, "Why do they call it the West Side?" when it's clearly east of downtown. For the uninformed, pick up the guide and find out.

Rogers wins the Pritzker
The architect that created the Pompidou Center in Paris --- Richard Rogers -- has been named the winner of the 2007 Pritzker Prize. The jury praised Rogers for his "Unique interpretation of the Modern Movement's fascination with the building as machine." Renzo Piano, Rogers' co-architect on the 1977 Pompidou project won the Pritzer nine years ago. In an interview with the NYT, Rogers says he doesn't believe in the star-architect concept, calling design a team effort. "I've never really understood how architects can think of themselves as individuals," he says. Partners at his firm -- soon to be renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners -- earn no more than six times the lowest-paid architect. (Photo courtesy of New York Times)

Architecture Minnesota
Joan Sorrano's University of Alaska Museum of the North lands on the cover of the March/April edition of Architecture Minnesota. In this issue, the magazine focuses on 2006 AIA Minnesota Honor and Divine Detail Awards. In addition to Sorrano's museum, six other winners are featured, including The Benedicta Arts Center, TEMPO, St. Croix Lutheran High School Chapel, Tria House, Eye-Pod and Breck School Commons. To listen to a Building Minnesota interview with Sorrano from 2005, click here.

Office tower? Condos?
With its twin towers of blue glass, Reflections in Bloomington looks more like an office complex than a place where people might actually live. In a condo market that caters to aging suburban boomers who want to get in touch with their urban roots, Reflections seems to offer aging suburban boomers ... the suburbs. But with a twist. This is the suburbs located within crawling distance of a train station. The Bloomington Central stop of the LRT is nicely nestled between the Mall of America and Lindberg Terminal (both attractions are just two stops away) and downtown Minneapolis is a pleasant 30-minute ride. Reflections marketing materials brags that the condos introduce a "brand new, transit-oriented lifestyle to the Twin Cities." Buy one and you also get an underground parking space. On the inside, there's a lot to like about Reflections. Every unit has floor-to-ceiling windows. Those facing south get a stunning view of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the occasional bald eagle. The downsides: You can't open the windows and there's no deck for grilling. The sales agent told me about one-half of the units have been sold and they haven't had to lower their prices too much (perhaps a sign that the real estate market hasn't slumped too much). (Photos by Todd Melby)

Florence Knoll Bassett
If you don't know much about Florence Knoll Bassett, check out the fine article by Camille LeFevre in the College of Design's Emerging Magazine. The university bestowed an honorary degree on Knoll Bassett, calling her a "living embodiment of the mid-20th-century ideal of the design disciplines interacting and working together in fluid ways." Just glancing at the photo of the Florence Knoll settee accompanying the article makes me want to plunk one down in my living room. (Now only if I lived in a modern house instead of the 1890s sunless Victorian I currently occupy.)

Groves to speak on March 26
Craig Groves, a conservation biologist and planner with the Wildlife Conservation Society, will speak at the University of Minnesota on Monday, March 26. The topic of his lecture, which is sponsored by the College of Design, is "The Conservation Biologist's Toolbox For Landscape and Land-Use Planning." The speech begins at 5:45 p.m. at 100 Rapson Hall.

A new skyscraper for Minneapolis?
Don't let the empty storefronts on Hennepin Avenue fool you, downtown Minneapolis need more office space. Expensive office space, that is. In its commercial real estate section, the Business Journal reports that developers are mulling over the prospect of a new tower in the near future. "I see 2007, 2008 and 2009 as years of gradual improvement in the office market," said Steve Chirhart of TaTonka Real Estate Advisors. That means downtown's vacancy rate will plummet from 17.3 percent to something lower, perhaps prompting construction of a skyscraper that could reshape and enliven the downtown skyline.

On the Radio: The Gehry makeover of the Weisman
In the past few years, it seems as if every major art institution in town has gotten a facelift or a new building. The Guthrie Theatre, Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Arts all hired big-name, out-of-town architects for their makeovers. Now it’s the Weisman Art Museum’s turn.

And the architect that did the 1993 original -- Frank Gehry of Los Angeles -- is back to work on the addition. I wrote about this in a pair of earlier posts. And now you can listen to a radio story I produced on the topic. The link takes you to an online version of the podcast. The story, which airs on KFAI Radio during the Evening News at 6 p.m. on Monday, includes interviews with Lyndel King, Weisman director, and Thomas Fisher, dean of the College of Design at the University of Minnesota campus. (You can also subscribe to the podcast at the Apple iTunes store.)

"The original building is itself a remarkable structure," says Fisher. "What I like about the additions is they are broken up so they don’t overpower the original. They respect the original."

Milwaukee Road Depot to shed its Courtyard (by Marriott)
The Business Journal reports that the hotel adjacent to and inside the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis is changing its affiliation. Instead of charging customers $219 to $269 per night, the inn plans to ask $249 to $299 per night as a Renaissance Hotels & Resorts property. The upgrade will give visitors access to flat panel TVs and wood blinds (as opposed to "heavy drapes"), but the historic character of the 1899 building will be preserved. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the papers: Moses, Salmela and Mayne
Lots of news in the newspapers this morning. The great architecture critic Ada Louis Huxtable offers her thoughts on the Robert Moses exhibits now on display at three New York City museums. In a lengthy Wall Street Journal review, Huxtable remembers the fight to block the Lower Manhattan Expressway, saying the "subject defies detachment." And so does city planner Moses. (The Journal website is by subscription only, but the article is worth the $1 newsstand price. I wrote about Moses controversy one month ago on the Building Minnesota blog.) The Star Tribune visits architect David Salmela's new house, perched on a hill above Duluth. Despite its modernism, Linda Mack calls it "as warm as a Northwoods cabin." I interviewed Salmela in 2005 while his house was under construction. Click here and you'll hear a 5-minute report on Salmela's architecture and an extended interview with the talented Minnesotan.

You can also listen to the feature on Salmela here:

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And in the New York Times today, Nicolai Ouroussoff raves about Thom Mayne's new San Francisco Federal Building.

History at 2447 Bryant Avenue South
Preservation enthusiasts are still raving about the John G. and Minnie Gluek house in south Minneapolis, which was open for an estate sale over the weekend. The mansion, at 2447 Bryant Avenue South, was owned by Tessie Bowman for the past 66 years. During her lifetime, she acquired "massive amounts ... of china, glassware and silver that armies could have used, solid mahogany dressers, china cabinets, sofas, cribs and children's beds and toys," according to Madeline Douglass, who attended the estate sale. Douglass called the house and its belongings a "temple to late Victorian and early Edwardian life," but worried that the dwelling itself was in "incredibly rough shape [with] wood rot, massive leaks inside, crumbling plaster," etc. MPR reporter Jim Bickal produced a story on the house and its belongings. (Photo by Larissa Anderson)

New Weisman Art Museum: More Marsden Hartleys on display
These two photos show the four new galleries (top photo) and the conceptual plan for the Target Studio for Creative Collaboration (lower photo) for the Weisman Art Museum building expansion in Minneapolis. (For more information on the addition, see today's other post.)

Weisman Director Lyndel King calls the four galleries facing Coffman Union "pods" and says the museum requested that architect Frank Gehry avoid designing slanted walls. "We need our space to be flexible," she says. "We can't have a wall that's dedicated to just one thing."

The Weisman Art Museum is well known for its collection of Marsden Hartley paintings. But right now, only two of the museum's 65 paintings are on display. When the new galleries open in 2009, King promises to have 20 or 30 Hartleys on permanent display. Same goes for the Georgia O'Keeffe and Arthur Dove paintings now languishing in the Weisman's storage area (or out on loan). There will also be more space for the museum's impressive collection of pottery, which includes many works by local legend Warren MacKenzie. (Photos by Todd Melby)

To listen to an interview with Lyndel King, click here.

King on new Weisman: More Art Nouveau
Lyndel King (above) unveiled plans for an expanded Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota campus. First constructed in 1993, the new 11,000 square-foot addition will include four new galleries, a cafe and a studio, all designed by the original architect: Frank Gehry. And there was a lot of talk about the Los Angeles-based architect who went from being an eccentric who put asphalt in the kitchen of his Santa Monica house to designing the world's most talked about museum (Guggenhein Bilbao, not the Weisman).

King, the Weisman's director, says Gehry's metal curves for the new addition will probably be stainless steel and be "more organic, more like the drawings" than the original Weisman.

"When he did this building, the drawings were very organic, very complicated. The drawings look a lot like the drawings for the Guggenheim in Bilbao, which was just after us," King says. "But our building looks significantly different. That's because he had to straighten them out, [make them] more geometric. I like to say that our current building is a cubist sculpture and the addition is going to be more Art Nouveau."

The lower photo, above, shows the new WAM Cafe. The conceptual model and drawings show supports for the cantilevered cafe, which will be perched on the Mississippi River side of the building. Asked if she'd like to see the cafe with hidden supports (think Guthrie cantilever), King says, "I would love to have it seem to be floating in air." (Photos by Todd Melby)

To listen to an interview with Lyndel King, click here.

His and Her ... Bedrooms
In a lengthy trend piece in yesterday's New York Times, architects and builders attempted to coin a name for the kind of house that includes a pair of big bedrooms. In houses with a single big bedroom, these rooms are sometimes called the master bedroom or the master suite. But now some wealthy couples don't sleep together anymore. (Think the Dick Van Dyke Show with a wall separating husband and wife.) An interior designer in St. Louis likes the term "owners' suite." Dale Mulfinger of SALA Architects suggests this name: "How about couples' realms?" When I interviewed Mulfinger, pictured, for a Building Minnesota radio report last summer, we talked about cabins, not his and her bedrooms. I wonder how one might accomplish such an architectural feat in a small space up north.

A Weisman addition in the works
Linda Mack of the Star Tribune writes that the University of Minnesota will show off plans for a Weisman Art Museum addition on Tuesday. Architect Frank Gehry is looking forward to creating shiny curves for the building's dull east side. "The expansion means we can bring the architecture around the museum to the pedestrian bridge and Coffman Plaza, something I felt was lacking from the beginning," he said. The U has already raised $7.5 million of the $10 million needed for the project, thanks in large part to a $2 million gift from Target. The addition will include a cafe on the Mississippi River side of museum and 25 percent more space for art galleries. (Photo by Todd Melby)

A new Wayne Hotel in Crookston?
An Grand Forks architecture firm and a St. Paul developer recently met with Polk County officials to discuss their plans for revitalizing the stately Wayne Hotel. According to an article in the Crookston Times, JLG Architects and MetroPlains Developement showed county commissioners a $2.5 million-plus plan to turn the old hotel into a 26-unit apartment building with commercial space on street level. Although the building is in poor condition, "there was nothing in there that scared us," said Lonnie Laffen of JLG. For more information on downtown Crookston, most of which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, check out this 2005 MPR story. What do you think of downtown Crookston? Send us your comments. (Photo by Bob Reha, Minnesota Public Radio)

'Condo market's in the toilet'
Wow. One doesn't run across a quote like that very often. In this morning's Star Tribune, John Cox, a Champlin city official, complains about the lack of progress he's had at bringing an urban-like development to his suburb. "The condo market's in the toilet right now," he said. Other suburban government types weren't quite as blunt about the failed or halted efforts at creating mini-downtowns in Roseville, Anoka, Lino Lakes, Ramsey and other suburbs, but most of those "urban village" projects have hit bumps in the road. More evidence of the condo skid: In its Friday print edition, The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported on doubts surrounding a luxury condo development called Two Twenty Two. Located at the corners of Washington and Hennepin avenues in Minneapolis, the original plan called for 290 pricey condos stacked on top of a Whole Food store on the site of the current Jaguar car dealership. "We're re-evaluating," said Don Milliken of Milliken Development.

Fisher on design
Is the economy based on information or design? In an interview with the Star Tribune, Thomas Fisher, College of Design dean at the U of M argues it's all about design, baby. "The idea of the design economy is that ... we have to compete on the basis of innovation, creativity and imagination, which takes you to design." The University of Minnesota recently merged its architecture and design schools into a single, new department headed by Fischer. In the winter issue of M, Fisher publishes his thoughts on why the university merged two previously separate departments and the future of design. An excerpt: "Though design is generally thought of as a way to make things look good and work better, more and more it is being recognized as a way to improve lives and make the world a healthier place."

Rapson's library
It's been a tough couple years for Ralph Rapson. The legend of Minnesota architecture saw his Guthrie demolished and a community library shuttered. Originally designed as a bank in 1964, the Southeast branch of the Minneapolis public library was closed in December due to a lack of funds. However, Preservation magazine reports that the city is trying to save it. (Photo by Jeremy Stratton of The Bridge)

Why Americans love malls
"Who wants to walk around downtown in the middle of winter?" asks a character in Jonathan Mitchell's radio documentary City X. The answer, of course, is this: "Nobody." In addition to writing about architecture, I host a radio program that airs documentaries. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, I combine these two passions by airing City X -- a piece about why Americans love malls -- on The Listening Lounge, a show on KFAI Radio. In City X, Mitchell (pictured) masterfully layers interviews with average people, architects and bus drivers into a mosaic of sound that gives us a clear understanding of why Americans love malls. Here are just a few comments, each delightfully enunciated in the documentary: "When it came, we were hip and happening. We were a real town. We weren't just some little spot in the middle of the cornfield. We've made it!" There's also great stuff in here about mall culture: How the boys go there to scope out girls, how the girls go there to be scoped out by the boys, the mysteries of how to pronounce the "exotic" gyro and a debate about where to find the best parking spot. One person loves the lower level down by Sears. Another absolutely swears by the entrance that leads you right into the middle of the Food Court. Listen in on Wednesday, March 7 at 11:30 a.m. on KFAI, 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul and streaming online at kfai.org.