Preservation Alliance pushes for tax credit
The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is asking state legislators to adopt the Minnesota Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, which would allow owners of historic properties to receive a 25 percent income tax credit on appropriate renovations. Bonnie McDonald, Preservation Alliance executive director, is optimistic the bill will survive floor votes in the House and Senate. But she's less sure about a gubernatorial signature. "It was not included in the governor's budget," she wrote in an e-mail. "However, we understand there is support ... amongst the governor's staff and advisors." Twenty-nine states have adopted similar credits. A list of legislators and groups supporting the measure is available at the Preservation Alliance website.

Philip Johnson's Glass House opens for tours
Since construction was completed in 1949, Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut has never been open to the public. That changes on April 30 when visitors can pay $25 for a 90-minute tour, $40 for a end-of-the-day tour that allows photography or much more for specialty events. The Advocate, a Connecticut newspaper, also reports that the grand opening on June 23 will feature dancers from Merce Cunningham's modern dance company performing to music from the Velvet Underground. Tickets are available online.

After Ford plant closes in 2008, what next?
There's lot of speculation about the future of St. Paul's Ford plant. The last Ford Ranger pickup will roll out the door next year. Tim Nelson and Jason Hoppin of the Pioneer Press speculate that Google might consider a portion of the 123-acre site as a home for a Midwest data center. Others believe the site might be a great place for housing. Architects and average citizens get their chance to brainstorm about all this at an "Unauthorized Design" charrette. Sponsored by AIA St. Paul, the event takes place from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 10 at UAW Local 879. (Photo by Dan Oldre, from Flickr.com)

Improving downtown Chaska
As a urbanite, I seldom make it to the suburbs. Yet at least one Twin Cities suburb loves its downtown. "There’s a stronger feeling of neighborhood, a connection with your neighbors. If you see someone coming towards you, you say 'hi.'" That's Lisa Oberski's description of living in downtown ... Chaska. The local newspaper, the Chaska Herald, asked residents for their thoughts on how to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly and more livable. If you have ideas, you can join in the conversation at the newspaper's website or add them here.

Soranno: Design completed for Rochester synagogue
Joan Soranno's most recent achievement was the snow white University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks. Its elegant curves and color are reminiscent of her Barbara Barker Center for Dance at the University of Minnesota. Two years ago, I interviewed the HGA designer about Bigelow Chapel, a sanctuary in New Brighton that employed translucent materials. Although Soranno's too busy for an interview at the moment, a quick e-mail notes she plans on "using translucent acrylic panels for the Ark wall" for B'nai Israel's synagogue in Rochester. When the $5.5 million project is completed, it will be the first synagogue in southern Minnesota. An AP story reports that the city's Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist communities have also recently put down stronger roots. You can listen to the story on Bigelow Chapel I aired in 2005 here -- it includes an interview with Soranno.

FLASHBACK: My Architect: A Son's Journey
A recent Claude Peck story in the Star Tribune about his trip to Fort Worth, Texas to see Louis Kahn's renowned Kimbell Art Museum reminded me of a story I did a few years ago. In a 2004 Building Minnesota radio report, I interviewed Minnesota architects Gunter Dittmar and Lee Tollefson, as well as director Nathaniel Kahn, about the the documentary film My Architect: A Son’s Journey. When Louis Kahn died in 1974, he left behind a few masterpieces and many unanswered questions about his personal life. His son, Nathaniel Kahn, was just 11 at the time of his father’s death. They never spent much time together. They couldn’t, really. Louis Kahn was married, but not to Nathaniel’s mother. In researching the film, Nathaniel Kahn tried to learn as much as he could about his absent father. You can listen to the story here or by subscribing to the podcast at iTunes.

You can also listen to it here:

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Lecture on New Orleans at U of M's College of Design
The title of the speech sounds great: "Making Waves Along the Big Muddy: Pursuing Equity Planning in New Orleans." Ken Reardon, Cornell University professor and chair of its Department of City and Regional Planning, will speak about rebuilding the Big Easy on Monday, Feb. 19 at 5:45 p.m. at Rapson Hall. It's part of the College of Design's spring lecture series. The rebuilding might not be happening fast enough. On Friday, NYT reported that many middle-class residents are leaving the city.

WSJ bashes Libeskind's new Denver Art Museum building
You'll have to trust me on this one because the Wall Street Journal only allows access to articles for paying customers. But today's print edition isn't exactly kind to Daniel Libeskind's American debut, a new Denver Art Museum building. Under the headline, "It Works Depite Libeskind's Best Efforts," critic David Littlejohn calls the new structure a "gravity-defying funhouse" that poses problems for the paintings and sculptures it is supposed to display. The article begins by describing Libeskind's design philosophy: "Mr. Leibskind regards rationalism as one more constricting ideology, and dismisses as nonsense the modernist dictum that 'form follows function.'" As such, Littlejohn argues that Libeskind's tilted trapezoids are more about his expression as an artist than anything else. Without exhibition curator Dan Kohl (who found a way to hang paintings on non-vertical walls), and Arup, the Los Angeles engineering firm who found a way to keep the Sydney Opera House up, Libeskind's imaginative design wouldn't have worked at all, Littlejohn says. He also notes how the museum was forced to place planters and two-by-fours on the floor so visitors don't bump their heads on the disorienting low and slanty ceilings. To get a sense of the Fredric C. Hamilton building (the official name), you may want to check out this interactive website set up by the Denver Art Museum.

Pelli's perilous prow
The Star Tribune reports that architect Cesar Pelli's prow at the newish Minneapolis Central Library is a possible hazard for pedestrians. The prow, which separates the library's two wings five stories above the ground, isn't properly heated. As a result, vertical tubes of ice have apparently been forming (and crashing) on the Nicollet Mall side of the library. As David Brewster's excellent photo indicates (thank you, Star Tribune) the area under the prow is now blocked off so people don't get hurt.

What's wrong with modern architecture?
A friend of mine, Steve Murray of Minneapolis, likes to visit James Howard Kunstler's Eyesore of the Month online. Kunstler, the author of "Geography of Nowhere," takes suggestions from readers on supposed eyesores. The site features boxy buildings (like the one pictured above) and edgy new work by modernists like Daniel Libeskind. His addition to the Denver Art Museum was feature in November. So, here is Steve's question to modern architects and those who love them:

"I'm troubled and put-off -- even offended -- by looming, forbidding buildings that seem to be assembled from space junk. To me, the picture of Libeskind's Denver Art Museum looks exactly like the Star Wars-esque space fighter-ships that my son Ian made from Legos when he was 8 years old.

So I'll ask you: why do so many modern structures look deliberately forbidding? Why do they seem to be designed to give the uneasy impression that they're on the verge of toppling over and crushing anyone unlucky enough to be standing too closely? Why are the exteriors made of materials that look like they were salvaged from a plane crash, or a demolished quonset hut?

I'm not mocking here ... as I said, I don't get it and I admit as much. Are these buildings meant to be a comment on the horrific nature of an over-industrialized modern existence?"

Any takers on Steve's questions?

Rethinking 'The Power Broker'
Three New York museums are assessing the legacy of Robert Moses, the city's master builder during the post-World War II decades. The Museum of the City of New York, The Queens Museum and The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia University are hosting the exhibits. The Times covered this story a couple of weeks ago, but being a radiohead, I'm partial to coverage provided by WNYC. January 31's Brian Lehrer show, Wholly Moses, included interviews with Robert Caro, author of the 1974 book on Moses and those who curated the current exhibits. You can listen online (by clicking on the Wholly Moses link) or subscribe to the iTunes podcast.

Winter Sunshine
One of the underrated features of the new Minneapolis Public Library, designed by Cesar Pelli, is the abundance of light. Although I haven't been officially diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder --- winter depression -- I seek out sunlight where ever I can. Before this winter, I submitted myself to security forces at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. After passing through massive metal detectors, I'd settle in at the Law Library on the 11th floor and enjoy warm sun from the south facing windows. But now there's a new sun worshipping spot: the 4th floor of the new library. On the south side of the building, Pelli placed a row of glass between his prow and the top floor administrative offices. So there I was on the 4th floor of the library, near the geneaology section, leaning back in my chair, eyes closed, basking in the sun. After just a minute or two of relaxation, a man taps me on my shoulder: "Sir, are you all right?" Yes, I'm fine. Just enjoying the sun, I replied. Top notch security here too. Now if we could only get the building open on Sundays and Mondays. To listen to my radio story on the new library, click here. (Photo by Todd Melby)

They got no taste
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, the American Institute of Architects commissioned a poll to discover which buildings Americans love the most. The Empire State Building topped the list, followed by the White House, Washington National Cathedral, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Golden Gate Bridge, Lincoln Memorial, U.S. Capitol, Biltmore Estates/Vanderbilt Residence, Chrysler Building and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. At #22: Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The survey "reinforces one's sense that the general public's knowledge of architecture is still limited to things that are big and have columns or have a lot of colored lights," said Mark Robbins, Syracuse University architecture dean. You can read more about the survey at PRNewswire, Wall Street Journal or the AIA website. By the way, the IDS Center came in at #107, the Walker Art Center ranked #117 and the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota finished at #129 on the list.

Skip the play about FLW, maybe
If you're planning a trip to New York and think the new play about Frank Lloyd Wright's life -- Frank's Home -- might be worth a look, you should read Charles Isherwood's review in the New York Times. The critic blasts the play as a "dreary drama," that is "sloppily constructed," includes "flaccid staging" and, in the end, is "unrelentingly dour." The play, written by Richard Nelson, was originally staged at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal partially disagrees, calling the play "deftly paced and admirably unfussy." However, Teachout's not exactly a fan of the entire production. If you are undeterred by the scathing NYT review, Frank's Home is at the Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater on West 42nd Street through Feb. 18. (Photo courtesy of New York Times)