Embracing Ruins as Historic Preservation
We tend to ignore ruins or look at them as failures, awaiting either a visionary creative reuse or the wrecking ball. What if we preserved them as they are instead?
Tag Archives: historic preservation
Historic Paving Tour of the Minneapolis Warehouse District – Sunday, May 16th
Minneapolis has oft been accused of not having done enough to preserve its historic structures, particularly in reference to the loss of the Gateway District, and especially when contrasted with successful efforts to save ornamentally clad buildings in Saint Paul. The jeers have endured decades of evolution or devolution in the Twin Cities, depending upon […]
What’s In a Name: Frankman Place, A Rare Named Alley, Resurfaces Briefly as Snelling Yards Development Gains Key Approval
As the 210-unit Snelling Yards development nears construction, a rare named alley appeared on site plans and city documents, leading the author down a rabbit hole to investigate this anomaly and double down on the need to apply names to even the most mundane public assets.
No, We Should Not Abolish the HPC. But It Could Look Different.
An essay posted January 15, 2021 on streets.mn entitled “Preserve The Future, Not Just The Past” is a fairly typical critique of heritage preservation and the role of heritage preservation commissions (HPCs) in American cities. The article points to the frequently absurd minutia and short-sightedness of HPC meetings and staff reports, but does not fully […]
Preserve The Future, Not Just The Past
Because I have a lot of important things to fill my time, I recently tuned in to a meeting of the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. There was just one item on the agenda: the proposed demolition of a low-slung downtown office building at 17 N Washington Avenue, which would then be replaced by a 27 […]
National Links: The Trouble with Parking Requirements
Every day at The Overhead Wire we collect news about cities and send the links to our email list. At the end of the week we take some of the most popular stories and post them to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region. […]
Sunday Summary – November 18, 2018
Thank you all who Gave to the Max for streets.mn and to those who applied to join our board. streets.mn depends on its members, event volunteers, writers, board members, and donors to support its work. Yay! And here’s last week on streets.mn: Interesting journeys To the Gulf of Minneapolis by bike with Wolfie Browender. To […]
St. Andrew’s Church and the American Landscape
Editor’s note / correction: The original post did not state that Bob Roscoe is a paid consultant on this project. Per streets.mn editorial policy #14, possible conflicts of interest should be disclosed before publication. streets.mn regrets the error. Many places of worship are built for unambiguously ecclesiastic use for the religious function of its […]
Totem Town Trek
September 7, 2015 34.5 Miles West End, Downtown, Dayton’s Bluff, Battle Creek, Highwood Hills A long ride to the eastern reaches of Saint Paul, which started with some quick stops, first on the West End. Today’s plan was to reach and explore Boys Totem Town, Ramsey County’s live-in program for boys 14 to 18 who […]
A Missed Opportunity for Placemaking
If you have ever referenced the Pannekoeken Building, the Days Inn, the Carlton Hotel, or that old building across from Rochester Methodist Hospital, well then you are already well acquainted with one of the only remaining historic hotels in downtown Rochester. And if you read the news every day, you are now aware that a […]