Category: Design

Christmas at Dayton’s

On a downtown walk with a friend, we explored the repurposed Dayton’s department store, now a mixed-use building. The first floor hosted Christmas pop-up shops, while the basement showcased exhibits from the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame. My baseball-loving friend got to reminisce and I enjoyed the backstories.

Life in a Climate-Controlled World

It was a brisk 12°F when I set out for my walk today. Eventually, I sought refuge in the Skyway system. Here, I’m making my way through the Northstar Center. Once an office tower, the building has been repurposed to include apartments. Given lower office occupancy rates post-pandemic, there’ll be more such conversions. Downtown Minneapolis has emerged as one of the fastest-growing residential neighborhoods in the Twin Cities.

Downtown Discoveries

The new-to-us Hotel Ivy was an objective of a Downtown walk with a friend. The modern building incorporates a “mini-skyscraper,” originally an office tower for the Christian Science Church, built in 1930. Today, the old tower houses suites, including a two-story penthouse. Afterward, we recharged with coffee and croissants at a new-to-us coffee shop.

Contradictions

A random walk through Downtown, guided by traffic light signals, led me to Philip Johnson’s 1972 IDS Center, a testament to its enduring design. However, Johnson’s past as an ardent Nazi supporter in the 1930s casts a long shadow. He publicly admired “Mein Kampf,” attended the invasion of Poland, and described it as a “stirring spectacle.” While he renounced these views in the 1940s, his earlier actions forever tarnish his legacy.

Old Meets New

On my cycle ride through the Minneapolis North Loop, took in new construction that integrates with two historic structures, thus retaining some sense of place. I’ve always liked the 1884 Commutator building on the corner, but it was falling into disrepair. The white structure (propped up) was wheeled round the corner while a huge hole… Continue reading Old Meets New

Metamorphoses

Walking along, I came across a former inauthentic Japanese structure and restaurant, now reskinned and reinvented as a drag cabaret and 24-hour diner. The metamorphosis sparked a question in my mind as I continued my walk: what would my drag name be?

From Factory to Chic Hotel 

Included the Canopy by Hilton Hotel on a downtown walk with a friend. This lovely building was originally a factory for steam-powered wheat threshers and farming implements. An art-filled atrium has been carved out to bring light and drama to interior spaces.

Industrial Grit to Urban Chic

On a walk through the Minneapolis North Loop with friends, paused to take in this hotel/retail project. The building on the right had become dilapidated, but is being brought back to life. The old white building sandwiched between new construction was moved to this location.

Symmetry vs. Function

Today I had to accept symmetry in my LEGO gantry crane isn’t always achievable. Here’s the hoist and grabber subassemblies, operated by pneumatic pistons. Scissor mechanisms are inherently not symmetric in operation, so I had to consider choosing symmetry in either the extended or closed positions, not both.