Honoring those who preserve city's past

The 2008 Heritage Preservation Awards in Minneapolis acknowledge people and projects that are helping preserve and reuse important buildings rather than destroying them and building new. The awards, announced late last week, are the work of the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, the city's Department of Community Planning and Economic Development, the American Institute of Architects, and Preserve Minneapolis, a nonprofit organization.

St. Anthony Falls Office Building (formerly the Pillsbury Library)

100 University Av. SE.

Restoration of a classic small city library for use as office space. It was built of marble in the Beaux-Arts architectural style at the corner of Central and University Avenues, and used as a library until the late 1960s. Work by Domain Architecture.

Ripley Gardens

Glenwood Avenue and Penn Avenue N.

A onetime maternity hospital associated with Dr. Martha Ripley, one of the nation's first female doctors. Reuse of three historic buildings and construction of three new ones for affordable rental and owner-occupied homes. Work by Aeon Homes and partners.

324 Harvard St. SE.

Renovated nursery and community hall and new office, kitchen and classroom spaces for a Gothic Revival church on a hemmed-in space alongside the University of Minnesota's east bank campus. Work by Miller Dunwiddie Architects.

1101 W. Broadway

Corner of W. Broadway and Emerson Avenue N.

Restoration of two-story commercial building, vacant for years, plus rear addition to create space for credit union, coffee shop and offices on a long-distressed corridor now seeing a revival. Work by Ackerberg Group.

Restoration of 1892 house designed by Harry Wild Jones, plus rear two-story addition with contemporary amenities. Work by David Heide Studios.

Diamond Lake residence

Renovation of 1956 rambler at southern border of city; stone fireplaces and other touches were kept in kitchen update. Work by IOTA (Inland Office for Tomorrow's Architecture).

Twin Cities by Trolley

Book by Aaron Isaacs and John Diers, published by University of Minnesota Press, recounts the "streetcar era," stressing the role of Twin City Rapid Transit Co. in shaping the development of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

School built in 1927 in the Longfellow neighborhood is one of 12 to be closed in recent years. Neighbors are seeking to save it for other uses.

Charlene Roise

President of the historical consulting firm Hess, Roise, and Co., Roise was involved in such landmark preservation efforts as the State Theatre, Grain Belt Brewery, Midtown Exchange (Sears and Roebuck Building), Farmers and Mechanics Bank and the Foshay Tower.