Parking ramps are ugly — but we need more of them in downtown Minneapolis
What if any new ramp could be designed to enhance the city, not just store cars?
Minnesota's fast-food chains once boasted garishly fun designs
But you knew what they were at a glance. Now the buildings are nothing short of bleak.
Once celebrated, the skyways of Minneapolis are now being blamed for downtown's empty streets
Since the early 1960s, the elevated connections between buildings have been a hallmark of the core of both downtowns.
Four ways to save Minneapolis: Demolish City Center — or most of it
The 1980s blank wall of a building fails to offer what a vital city center needs: connection.
Landmark Minneapolis church beat the odds by thriving. Now the 121-year-old building needs some TLC.
The neighborhood mainstay is an architectural gem, but needs help to restore its steeple.
One of the ugliest buildings in downtown Minneapolis will likely be demolished. Should we care?
The YWCA sticks out like a sore thumb. But it is an example of a certain style of architecture.
The University of Minnesota's Northrop Mall is grand — but it could've been glorious
Cass Gilbert's original plans called for a European-style plaza leading to an open-air theater, a botanical garden and a small harbor.
Instead of new foods, the State Fair needs more welcoming entrances
How about a giant gopher? We know just where it should go.
Structures at the Minnesota State Fair built to last, but also to change
If these walls could talk, you'd hear a lot of interesting stories, of course, but the State Fair's historic structures continue to shelter young leaders, echo with the favorite songs of every era, and showcase regular Minnesotans doing their best work.
A Minneapolis block may hold a world record for churches
The four houses of worship in Northeast have long histories.
![The Lowry Avenue Bridge frames a frosty skyline before dawn Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minn. ] DAVID JOLES • david.joles@startribune.c](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/CF77DJLAZ3L73TCMVC2GGLYXDA.jpg?h=190&w=320&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Great cities have great fountains: Here are the 6 best in the Twin Cities
Admire turtles, gargoyles, cherubs and more.
Macy's furniture store in Edina is facing the wrecking ball. It's not a big loss.
The 1970s "earth-sheltered" building has fans.
Variety
Is the reign of the skyscraper over in the Twin Cities?
With demand for office space weak, it's unlikely Minneapolis or St. Paul will see massive additions to their skylines.
Variety
Downtown Minneapolis once set the standard for Christmas decorations
People used to flock to downtown Minneapolis for its elaborate holiday displays.
Variety
Few will be blue as mirrored glass towers disappear from downtown Minneapolis
The Wells Fargo Operations Center is slated next for replacement.
Variety
1910's St. Paul Hotel is just the latest hotel to grace downtown corner
The corner of W. 5th and St. Peter streets has been devoted to the same use for more than 150 years.
Variety
Is there a future for neighborhood theaters in the Twin Cities?
They have a storied past. They can have a future — if we buy tickets.
Variety
Nicollet Mall, once an urban oasis, is now flowerless
The parklike greensward of the rendering for the planned remake doesn't match the current stark reality.
State Fair
Why the Minnesota State Fair is the best small town in the state
The fairgrounds offer an eclectic mix of architecture, walkability and storefronts.
A sculpture made waves when it was installed in Minneapolis. And then one day it was gone
We went in search of "Inner Search."
Variety
The 'dangerous' days of downtown Minneapolis dance halls
A long-forgotten dance hall in downtown Minneapolis flustered local guardians of morality.
Variety
These Twin Cities Depression-era projects have stood the test of time
The Armory, the Minneapolis Post Office and a State Fair building are among those still actively used today.
Variety
Variety
The story behind the makeover of the 50-year-old IDS Crystal Court
How the $5 million makeover, five years in the making and a model of sensitivity and ingenuity, came to be.
Variety
The skyscraper that could have redefined downtown St. Paul
When a promising office tower proposal fizzled in 1970, it set off a dispiriting architectural chain reaction.
RBC Gateway in downtown Minneapolis isn't splashy, but it's functional
Review: It's big and it's blue, but it's no threat to the IDS.
The mystery of the vanishing top of the Milwaukee Road Depot tower
How long has the cupola been gone? And what happened to it?
Tiny World Theater was one of many stylish movie houses in downtown Minneapolis
Former New Garden Theater isn't much remembered today, but it had an interesting history that reflected the ups and downs of the theater business in 20th-century Minneapolis.
Billboards could bring some much needed life to downtown Mpls. streets
There was a time when billboards were fun, bright, vivacious and artistic.
Beautiful, useless towers adorned Twin Cities mansions in Victorian era
The mania for towers reached its height in the 1880s, when the busy Queen Anne style was in full flower.
8 missed opportunities on the Minneapolis streetscape
There's always room for improvement to make Minneapolis a more livable city.
Is the graffiti on Twin Cities sound barriers and ramps art or visual litter?
The longer it stays, the more graffiti appears.
Why the Dale Street I-94 overpass is a role model for freeway design
The Dale Street I-94 overpass incorporates pedestrians, bikes and saner car traffic patterns. It's also a tiny step in rebuilding the Rondo neighborhood.
Minnesota's five-and-dime stores were the Target of 20th-century Main Street
Dime stores offered everything from socks to hamburgers.
At the University of Minnesota's Pillsbury Hall, everything old is new again
One of the oldest buildings on campus was remade into the home of the university's English department.
A section of St. Paul's stately Summit Avenue was lost to the wrecking ball
The multi-block, mixed-use section of the storied avenue was on the edge of downtown.
These 11 projects by Minnesota architects won awards for excellence in 2021
Annual awards recognize sustainability and human scale as well as function and form.
Skyscrapers rule downtowns, but we need smaller buildings, too
Two- and three-story buildings create character and a more human scale.
Variety
From a southern Twin Cities lake to a street in St. Paul, this builder threw his name around
Engineer and real estate developer left his mark – and his name – across the Twin Cities.
Minneapolis' 701 Building has kept its slightly kooky, 1980s charm
A popped-collar building is tucked in Minneapolis' buttoned-down skyline.
Variety
Who said Victorians couldn't party? Just look at 1883 bash held in Twin Cities
To celebrate completion of the northern transcontinental railway, the Twin Cities threw a massive daylong bash.
MSP's new ramp and transit hub is an intermodal model
Parking ramp/transit center blends form, function and nature.
Why the old-style Lake Harriet Band Shell remains a perennial favorite
Despite its traditional design, the Minneapolis band shell is just a few decades old.
Why the Twin Cities should save some ugly buildings from the wrecking ball
Beautiful buildings tend to be the ones that are preserved. Here's why we should save some ugly structures.
Variety
A 240-foot tower once rose in Minneapolis – advertising Coca-Cola
A 240-foot tower had the prominence that the Grain Belt Beer sign has today.
Variety
This long-lost St. Paul mansion had a link to 'Knives Out'
A shovel fortune helped build a mansion that once stood in the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol.
Minneapolis' newest park is like a front porch on the Mississippi River
Design of Water Works Park and Pavilion achieves simplicity without being simplistic.
Variety
Massive Harmonia Hall in Minneapolis went from a jewel to a rooming house
The downtown hall, which opened in December 1884, exemplified the busy, colorful Victorian Gothic commercial style.
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