The Architecture of Madness
I haven't read a review of The Architecture of Madness: Insane Asylums in the United States, a new book from the University of Minnesota Press, but the premise is fascinating. Carla Yanni, a Rutgers University professor, explores the philosophy of Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, a 19th century physician who believed calm surroundings could help the mentally ill.

In 2004, I produced a two-part series on the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center, a sprawling series of connected buildings that is about one-third of a mile long and just 45-feet wide. This former state mental hospital was inspired by the works of Kirkbride.

Here's what I wrote about Kirkbride's philosophy: "Dr. Thomas Kirkbride promoted a so-called 'Moral Treatment' of patients. This 'Moral Treatment' dictated that patients be separated from society in large institutions on the edge of small towns. The experience of fresh air, sunlight and farming was supposed to ease their troubles."

When I originally reported the story in 2004, the state planned to shutter the building in 2005. Today, the city owns it (under a special agreement with the state). It's trying to find new uses for the buildings. And state legislators are scrambling to help. Rep. Bud Nornes (R-Fergus Falls) and Sen. Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) tried securing legislation that would make the site a tax-free Renaissance Zone for 15 years. That effort failed. The Fergus Falls Daily Journal reports that the city would have received $400,000 to help with redevelopment efforts, but that money was part of the tax bill vetoed by Governor Tim Pawlenty. The Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission notes that the cost to demolish the Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Facility buildings is $9.8 million.

One of the people I interviewed for the radio series was John Lauber, a Minneapolis historic preservationist. I was struck by his sympathy for the people who were tucked away there decades ago: "I think it would be a somewhat terrifying place to come to," he said. "Just because of the size and sort of the feeling that you would walk through that door and never come back out. And that was true of a lot of people."

To listen to an eerie two-part series on the Fergus Falls state mental hospital buildings, subscribe to the Building Minnesota podcast at iTunes. Or listen online at the PodLounge.

Celebrate 100 years of St. Paul Cathedral
The St. Paul Pioneer Press, a scrappy newspaper that knows its city, has offered up several articles on the 100th anniversary of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Joe Soucheray told the behind-the-scenes story of the surgeon who paid to light up the exterior of the building on Wednesday and Thursday nights from 8 p.m. - midnight. The newspaper also quotes Larry Millett, former full-time architecture critic, on the grand building. According to the article, he loves the cathedral's "sheer majesty and scale," mostly because of its 306-foot-high dome. My favorite Millett quote: It's "the SUV of churches."

The Cathedral will offer free tours of the building on Friday and Saturday afternoons. A full schedule of events is listed on the church's website, which also describes the importance of the building this way: "The Cathedral of Saint Paul is the Mother Church of the Archdiocese and a parish community of faith rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition."

Mack opts for Strib buy-out
It's been rumored for weeks; now it's official. Linda Mack, architecture critic for the slumping Star Tribune, has agreed to take the buy-out from the newspaper. She will leave 425 Portland in early June. After leaving her longtime employer, Mack promises not to be idle. "I plan to talk to a lot of people and get involved in efforts to improve the city, as well as keep writing," she says (in an e-mail interview).

Mack recently weighed in on the long simmering Metro Transit buses on Nicollet Mall controversy in this Star Tribune piece.

A Thursday morning update: Mack's departure warranted mention yesterday in Architectural Record. Janet Abrams of the UM Design Institute had this to say about the loss of local architecture reporting in the Star Tribune: “It’s a shame if there isn’t going to be consistent coverage at precisely the time when the Twin Cities are in an ascendant position.”

Emerging, Spring 2007
The new issue of the UM College of Design's Emerging magazine is available. The splashy, well-designed publication features articles on affordable housing (the Goldstein Museum is currently featuring an exhibition on the subject), photos of models sporting paper jackets (created by clothing design students) and an interview with alum Richard Koshalek (pictured), current president of the Art Center College of Design in Pasedena, California. That institution has hired Frank Gehry to design a building on its campus, so it's no surprise to learn that Koshalek hired Gehry to creat the Geffen Contemporary.

Home Sweet Home
The May/June issue of Architecture Minnesota focuses on "budget-conscious architecture enthusiasts" since three of the four featured homes were completed with modest sums of cash. Thomas Fisher reports on the weeHouse. (A 2005 Building Minnesota podcast featured an interview with weeHouse architect Geoffrey Warner. You can listen to it here.)

Also in this edition of the magazine, Mason Riddles tells the story of a West Side apartment makeover and the ubiquitous Camille LeFevre tackles a pair of stories.

'Eco-Tecture' in the Times Magazine
New York Times Magazine dedicated its Sunday issue to the subject of green architecture. It even coined a new word to talk about it: eco-tecture. While I don't think that word will catch on, the six articles in the glossy insert provided lots of insight and eye-popping photography. An article by Nicolai Ouroussoff asked this about the Europeans: "Why are they greener than we are?" The answer: The EU mandates it, the U.S. government doesn't. The piece notes that Germany and the Netherlands are especially good are designing buildings that don't create a drag on the environment. German buildings gulp one-third less energy than their American counterparts. The outspoken Thom Mayne, an architect, makes an appearance dissing LEED certification, the voluntary U.S. green standard. "Energy consumption, the organization of the workplace, urbanism -- they're all seen as interlinked [in Europe]," he says. "Here, the whole focus is on how to get these points. You just check them off: bike racks, high-efficiency air-conditioning units -- it's very narrow."

Other articles in the series focus on architects Shigeru Ban and Glenn Murcutt, enviro-friendly houses and power sources for home and car.

Gold Medal Park opens



I see that a couple of Building Minnesota readers don't like the design of Gold Medal Park (see comments to May 14 post). Here are more photos of the park, which I look forward to lounging around in on a sunny day or a cool night, with my bicycle at my feet, a cold one in my hand and the stars twinkling in the sky. But I digress. The big opening was yesterday. The Star Tribune loved it, saying it sets a high standard and that it gets a gold star. Aw, shucks. What's there not to like? (Photos by Todd Melby)

Strib seems likely to eliminate Mack's post
The Rake and City Pages report that job cuts at the Star Tribune may impact local architecture coverage. City Pages speculates that Linda Mack, the paper's longtime architecture critic, might not be covering building and landscape design. According to City Pages: "Among the expected casualties of reassignments, according to newsroom sources: Larry Oakes's Duluth bureau, Linda Mack's architecture coverage, Doug Smith's outdoors column, Jay Weiner's sports-finance beat, Jeff Shelman's coverage of the Golden Gophers, Neil Justin's national TV writing, James Lileks's humor column, Doug Grow's metro column, Sara Glassman's fashion coverage, Jeff Strickler's film criticism, and Randy Salas's internet column." If you haven't been following the saga of job cuts at the Star Tribune, New York Times media columnist David Carr covered the subject in his Monday column.

May 16: Gold Medal Park opens
After a lovely dinner in the Riverfront district of Minneapolis on Friday night, I strolled past Gold Medal Park with my dinner companions. The orange fence surrounding this soon-to-open park, which is located next to the Guthrie Theatre, prohibited me from enjoying the neon blue benches and great view of the river. Designed by Oslund and Associates, the design has already won a American Society of Landscape Architects, Minnesota chapter award. A sign on the fence announced that an opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16. William McGuire, former CEO of UnitedHealth Group, donated the land and will pay for its upkeep for 10 years.

According to Minnesota Monthly, "The design for Gold Medal Park includes four winding concrete paths that mirror the way water flows down into the Mississippi River. One will spiral from a lighted perch on a 32-foot hill. Linden trees will line a boulevard along Second Street, and maples will dot the park. An invitation to luxuriate on park benches won’t be necessary, but a bell to remind you it’s curtain time [at the Guthrie] may be."

Helvetica turns 50
Every graphic designer knows Helvetica, designed by Max Miedinger (Swiss, 1910-1980), is a clean, honest san serif font. 2007 marks the 50th birthday of this popular typeface. The BBC World Service is hosting an online discussion of all things Helvetica. (Among the posts: "Two fonts walk into the bar and the barman says, "Sorry lads, we don't serve your type.") Veer, a typeface blog, is also asking readers for comments in their Love/Hate Helvetica contest. Not to be outdone, the Walker Art Center is serving up a film on the topic. Directed by Gary Hustwit, Helvetica screens at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on May 31.

A Thursday, May 31 update: I stopped by the Walker Art Center recently. They've added a Friday screening of Helvetica — Thursday's shows are sold out.

What is a podcast?
A podcast is a radio program, report or show that you can listen to on your computer or on-the-go. Podcasts are free and you can subscribe to your favorite (or ones you just want to explore) at the iTunes store or online at the podlounge, Podcast Directory or elsewhere. We here at Building Minnesota have our own podcast. If you click on any of the links listed above you'll find your way to it. The Building Minnesota podcast started on November 28, 2005 and includes reports on Bigelow Chapel, new Minneapolis Central Library, Guthrie Theatre cantilever, John Dwyer's Clean Hub, Cabin Fever with Dale Mulfinger, David Salmela, Architecture for Humanity's Lao America project and more. Coming soon: An in-depth look at Christ Church Lutheran in Minneapolis. (Photo by Scott Theisen)

May 15: Millett book on Twin Cities architecture
When I got my hands on an advance copy of the AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, I quickly opened it and began reading. As I walked from KFAI Radio, nestled in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood ("a place that did not age gracefully") to my home on Milwaukee Avenue ("a working class enclave that was striking by virtue of its architectural consistency"), I read the section on the Guthrie Theatre ("a strong design that never fails to be interesting, even when it's most irritating"). The next morning on the bus, I read author Larry Millett's description of Upper Swede Hollow Park and other mysterious St. Paul sites I've rarely -- or never -- visited. And that's the beauty of a book like this. You open it, you learn a little something, you go see for yourself what it looks like. At 666 pages (including bibliography and index) the book is thick, but it's narrow width makes it a guide. It's not designed to sit on your coffee table, but to be carried around from place to place. Millett, former architecture critic at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, spent years biking around the city, carefully documenting its landmarks and hidden gems. In my neighborhood, he found an "earth-sheltered house" at 2201-21st Avenue South. On his side of town, he opened my eyes to Mounds Park -- that picture of the prairie-style park pavilion looks pretty cool -- and the Seventh Street Improvement Arches.

The release date for the book, which is published by Minnesota Historical Society Press, is May 15. Millet will sign copies of the book at noon on May 23 at Barnes and Noble bookstore in dowtown Minneapolis; 2 p.m. on June 3 at Virginia Street Swedenborgian Church, 170 Virginia St., St. Paul; and 5-7 p.m. on June 6 at International Market Square, 275 Market St., Minneapolis. Tickets to the June 6 event are $20. The May 23 and June 3 events are free.

Skyscrapers: Asia, Middle East are growth centers
The world tallest building is Taipei 101, a 1,671-foot tall skyscraper in Taiwan (pictured at left). However, the New York Times reports that Shanghai World Financial Center is edging its way higher. After a five-year construction delay, Japanese developer Minoru Mori is adding seven floors to the tower in an effort to pass Taipei 101. When completed, Shanghai World Financial Center hopes to be 1,509 feet tall. Meanwhile, a Middle East competitor -- Burj Dubai Skyscraper -- may makes its rivals appear diminutive. When workers finish that $800 million project, designed by Chicago's Skidmore, Owens and Merrill in 2009 or 2010, it promises to 2,300 feet high.

May 10: D.C. modernist to speak at Odegard
Architect Travis Price, author of the book The Archaeology of Tomorrow, will speak at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 at Odegard, 210 North Second St., Minneapolis.

Price, a Washington, D.C. modernist, was one of the early adopters of green architecture. He designed headquarters for the Tennessee Valley Authority, placed a wind machine in Manhattan and joined the Carter administration as an alternative energy consultant in the 1970s.

Archaeology News says Price doesn't endorse every "sustainable" project: "He’s sharply critical of architects who cloak otherwise wasteful and inefficient designs in eco-friendly garb -- lumber-guzzling log cabins, for instance -- as well as well-meaning greenies who turn out boring, derivative structures."

The Strib's take on UM's recent design conference
Forget about the strikingly modern Walker Art Center, the blue Guthrie sinking into the dusk on a cold winter evening or even the impressive presence of the Minneapolis Public Library. What's really important in architecture is what happens between the buildings. That's the argument the Star Tribune editorial page took away from the Design and its Publics: Curators, Critics and Historians, a two-day seminar at the University of Minnesota last weekend. The newspaper cites efforts by Minneapolis and St. Paul to improve walking on Washington Avenue and storefronts on University Avenue.

Minnesota's most endangered buildings
Preservation Alliance of Minnesota has released its list of the state's most endangered historic buildings for 2007. Six rural schools top the list, including buildings in Jasper, Pipestone, Two Harbors and Worthington, Minnesota. Also on list is the Litchfield Opera House, Ely Community Center and the Southeast Public Library in Minneapolis (pictured above, designed by architect Ralph Rapson).

Here's the complete list of historic buildings that the group believes is in danger of demolition: Minnesota’s historic schools (Beardsley School, Beardsley; Jasper School, Jasper; Kasson Elementary School, Kasson; Pipestone Central School, Pipestone; Two Harbors High School, Two Harbors; Worthington Central School, Worthington); Ely Community Center, Ely; Litchfield Opera House, Litchfield; State Theater, Owatonna; Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway Passenger Depot, Waseca; St. John the Baptist Catholic School, Jordan; St. Anthony Falls Historic District, Minneapolis; Southeast Minneapolis Public Library, Minneapolis; Serbian Cultural Center, South St. Paul; and Valley of Saint Paul, Saint Paul.

James Dayton Design on a riverfront roll
Architectural Record notes that James Dayton Design of Minneapolis has two buildings under construction in the city's riverfront district near the Guthrie Theater. Dayton, a modernist best known for his work on the Bookman Stacks in Minneapolis' Warehouse District, is working on The Portland (above), another condo development, and the MacPhail Center for Music. Click on the Architectural Record link to read the article.

In the papers: Orchestra Hall, DeLaSalle football field and Richard Meier

It's never too late for a facelift.

Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis has $90 million worth of renovation plans. According to the Star Tribune, those plans include "expansion of the lobby onto Peavey Plaza adjacent to the hall; construction of a restaurant on the plaza and additional facilities to make the plaza more amenable to outdoor concerts; and installation of new seats, including 150 around the back of the stage."

Linda Mack weighs in on the controversial football field on Nicollet Island in Minneapolis. Local residents have resisted the idea for months. The city and private school on the island hope it moves forward. Mack on the design by Tom Meyer of MS&R: "It's not ideal. But it's better than blight."

And if you ever wanted to see architectural models of Richard Meier, schedule an appointment, and travel to Queens, New York on a Friday. You can read more about it here.

Ivy Hotel + Residence wins award
These photos are from a recent visit to the construction site of the Ivy Hotel + Residence, a hotel/condo project in downtown Minneapolis. The third photo shows a concrete slab arriving on the site, ready for installation on the tower. For more about the Ivy, see below.



The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal named the Ivy Hotel + Residence as its winner for the 2006 Best in Real Estate for Redevelopment/Extensive Renovation award. According to Minneapolis' CPED website, "The Ivy Tower project consists of a full historic restoration of the building and the development of 89 condo residential units, a 131 room hotel, 156 underground parking spaces, and commercial redevelopment with supportive skyway connections. Ivy Tower was built in 1930 as the administration building for the Second Church of Christian Scientists, serving this purpose for a number of years. The building has local historic designation." The architect on the $95 million project is Walsh Bishop Associates. A December opening is planned for the downtown Minneapolis hotel/condo complex, located near the Convention Center. Hotel rooms are expected to cost between $200 and $2,000 per night. (Photos by Todd Melby)