Flew to Chicago, walked, flew home. My “find” was the Thompson Center in the Loop, a postmodern building, with a huge atrium, a teardown candidate. Later, at the Chicago Architecture Center saw inspiring winning entries for a competition to transform and
Category: Design
Tallest Buildings
Cycled downtown to pick up meds. Before cycling back, looked up at the Foshay Tower (1929) framed by buildings of the IDS Center (1972). The Foshay was the tallest building in Minneapolis at 447 ft (607 ft including the antenna mast) until the IDS Tower (792 ft) was built.
Shaped by Function
Cycled past places shaped by function in an industrial area of North Minneapolis.
Post-Industrial Space
Cycled through this space in the Crown-Arts Campus, Northeast Minneapolis.
Former Instant Coffee Factory
On a Minneapolis North Loop walk, gave this apartment/retail building a second look. Recently learned 100 years ago this was an instant coffee factory that was claimed to be the largest in the world.
Large Timber Construction
Wandered around the Minneapolis North Loop with a friend, staring at repurposed industrial buildings. Many of the modern buildings draw upon the ethos of the area. When this building (T3 Building) opened in 2016, it was the largest mass (laminated) timber building in the country.
New Use for a Bank
Included some of my favorite indoor spaces on my Downtown walk. This was originally the banking hall for the Farmers and Mechanics Bank, my first bank when I arrived in Minneapolis. The original space is quite recognizable, although it’s now the lobby of a Westin.
Former Factory
Walked around Downtown with a friend, picking out favorite buildings. This beauty was built as a facility for manufacturing farm equipment. Today, it’s a hotel with dramatic public spaces. An atrium, with exposed timber beams, soars through all six levels
Izzy’s Ice Cream
This week I bought our final Saturday evening ice cream treats from Izzy’s ice cream store just down the road from where we live. Covid-19, and the uncertainties it’s bringing, gate-crashed the business model; the store is closing. Izzy’s and our home are built on what was a polluted rail yard, a so-called brown field… Continue reading Izzy’s Ice Cream
LEGO Mindstorms Warehouse Picker: Teardown
Teardown Modules Next Steps Maybe I’ll fix some design defects. Or maybe I’ll just take this all apart, sort the parts into my airline service trolley, then think up a new challenge. Play is good.