Letter of the Day (April 26): Bland architecture

As sketch associated with housing deal near U suggests, each new building looks like any other.

April 25, 2014 at 10:38PM
The Rollins Court condominiums, just 12 years old, will be demolished to make way for CPM's apartment complex along 15th Av. SE in Minneapolis. The 701 15th Av. project, with 202 apartments, will embrace a “Minnesota lake living concept.” credit: Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. ORG XMIT: MIN1404231435340371
The Rollins Court condominiums, just 12 years old, will be demolished to make way for an apartment complex along 15th Avenue SE. in Minneapolis. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

What has happened to architectural creativity? Am I the only one who has noticed that almost every new apartment/condo complex being built looks exactly the same? Same with the new student housing in the April 25 newspaper ("Complex housing deal comes together near U"); remove the caption and it could be anywhere.

Sadly, the urban landscape's new character looks like it's going to be made up of cookie-cutter, boxy-rectangular, warehouse-style buildings, using the same design and materials, with no distinguishing features.

Susan Kaufman, Minnetonka
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