Search found 129 matches

by luigipaladio
September 30th, 2023, 2:12 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center
Replies: 33
Views: 72132

Re: HERC - Hennepin Energy Recovery Center

HERC significantly reduces the amount of trash that would otherwise end up going to landfills, which are effectively time bombs slowly contaminating soil and water with a highly toxic mix of chemicals that don't break down readily except at very, very high temperatures. HERC was not intended first a...
by luigipaladio
February 10th, 2023, 10:58 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Dan Patch Intercity Regional Passenger Rail
Replies: 180
Views: 158622

Re: Dan Patch Intercity Regional Passenger Rail

South of the Minnesota River, The Dan Patch Line with a link into Northfield seems to make some sense. It seems like it would also make some sense to use the line to link to the southwest extension of the Green Line as far south as possible. It just doesn't make any sense to have it run essentially ...
by luigipaladio
February 1st, 2023, 10:30 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Downtown Minneapolis LRT Tunnel Discussion
Replies: 49
Views: 21718

Re: Downtown Minneapolis LRT Tunnel Discussion

I love subways and tunnels, but they can be alarmingly expensive. To get to the depth of the sandstone under downtown, the tunnels on either end of that stretch would have to start far beyond the downtown area to minimize steep grades on the approaches to either end of the tunnel. The stations thems...
by luigipaladio
January 3rd, 2023, 10:46 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Amtrak: Empire Builder and Borealis (TCMC)
Replies: 625
Views: 391209

Re: Amtrak Empire Builder and TCMC

A perennial passenger rail topic in Colorado is a Front Range Express that would connect all of the major towns and cities of the Front Range. There already is a well traveled rail corridor connecting those cities, and at least one of the proposals was to convert the existing corridor to passenger r...
by luigipaladio
October 28th, 2022, 10:22 am
Forum: Saint Paul
Topic: Sears Redevelopment
Replies: 87
Views: 63474

Re: Sears Redevelopment

Great! An entertainment venue next to the entertainment venue known as the State Capitol - a lot of competition there. This does not sound like a good redevelopment of the property, but it probably would be a short lived project anyway, and by the time it folds, perhaps saner minds can come up with ...
by luigipaladio
October 12th, 2022, 2:12 pm
Forum: Saint Paul
Topic: Highland Bridge: Ford Site Redevelopment
Replies: 199
Views: 163713

Re: Highland Bridge: Ford Site Redevelopment

Drove through the site yesterday and the piles of trusses, framing material, plywood and other construction materials was impressive. It looks like most or all of it is for the continued construction of the row houses - or the "here's an exercise plan for you" houses with four floors. In m...
by luigipaladio
June 22nd, 2022, 12:11 pm
Forum: Greater Minnesota
Topic: Duluth - General Topics
Replies: 65
Views: 76776

Re: Duluth - General Topics

Two Harbors really missed it on taking advantage of their wonderful harbor for some great tourism features. The big open space that used to be all railroad yards, coal yard and holding area for the monster steam engines that brought ore down from the mines could be a magical space for some beautiful...
by luigipaladio
June 21st, 2022, 9:07 pm
Forum: Greater Minnesota
Topic: Duluth - General Topics
Replies: 65
Views: 76776

Re: Duluth - General Topics

It's always puzzled me that there is still undeveloped land on the harbor. We just stayed at the Park Point Marina Inn last week and it was terrific to be right on the water of the harbor with thousand foot freighters and big "salties" cruising by. The aged industrial vibe of a lot of the ...
by luigipaladio
April 19th, 2022, 9:21 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - South, Southwest, and Uptown
Topic: Southside - News & General Topics
Replies: 1102
Views: 393820

Re: Southside - News & General Topics

The blocks between 41st and 43rd street and between 16th and 17th avenues used to regularly catch on fire before any houses were built there. The peat would burn for weeks - usually because someone new to the neighborhood would say, "Hey, great vacant lot to burn out leaves on!" One year, ...
by luigipaladio
December 31st, 2021, 1:34 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: Eleven - 1111 West River Parkway - 41 stories / 550'
Replies: 381
Views: 218453

Re: Eleven - 1111 West River Parkway - 41 stories / 550'

I'm guessing that the structural lighting will stay limited to the crown. With the prices folks have to pay to live here, it would be pretty annoying to step out onto your open air patio and have high power flood lights glaring at you from farther down the building. I was wondering if the big fake w...
by luigipaladio
December 7th, 2021, 12:57 pm
Forum: Saint Paul
Topic: Alatus Development - 411-417 Lexington Pkwy (MNDOT Snowpile site)
Replies: 51
Views: 36977

Re: Alatus Development - 411-417 Lexington Pkwy (MNDOT Snowpile site)

There is no surprise on this or any of the other "holds" that are likely to continue to pile up for St. Paul. Who in their right mind is going to want to finance the new residential towers on the downtown Riverfront when the rents would be prevented from even keeping up with inflation. The...
by luigipaladio
June 9th, 2021, 10:58 am
Forum: Greater Minnesota
Topic: Duluth: Essentia Health Hospital, Clinic and Outpatient Center
Replies: 13
Views: 14004

Re: Duluth: Essentia Health Hospital, Clinic and Outpatient Center

Does anyone have any photos they can post from this project and from the other big medical construction project that's going on in Duluth. The project closer to the Lake - and adjacent to the tower - is actually a fairly interesting structure, with several cantilevered levels and the most glass I've...
by luigipaladio
May 10th, 2021, 3:11 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: Archive Apartments - 110 1st Street N
Replies: 161
Views: 53904

Re: Archive Apartments - 110 1st Street N

This is such a site sensitive building. It looks fresh, but it also looks like it belongs with it's older neighbors. Too bad the passageway under the mid section of the building ends in a blank fortress wall of the Federal Reserve. A little pocket park could make that passage downright magical. It w...
by luigipaladio
May 10th, 2021, 3:02 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: Thrivent HQ & Moment apartments - 500 7th St & 650 Portland Ave
Replies: 225
Views: 390244

Re: Thrivent HQ & Sherman apartments - 500 7th St S

Business Journal says that Sherman has purchased the half block for this project. Hopefully, this means there will soon be construction. Filling out this block will definitely strengthen the neighborhood. Yes, it would be a good spot for something taller, but under current circumstances, getting thi...
by luigipaladio
April 7th, 2021, 1:25 pm
Forum: Saint Paul
Topic: 'Porthole' Lamps
Replies: 3
Views: 6711

Re: 'Porthole' Lamps

The "porthole" lamps were an attempt by the city to clear the narrow downtown streets and sidewalks of unnecessary clutter. At one time I recall even seeing some of these lights mounted on poles where there weren't buildings to accommodate them - for example, along a parking lot. The glass...
by luigipaladio
January 16th, 2021, 12:55 pm
Forum: Greater Minnesota
Topic: Rochester
Replies: 590
Views: 432584

Re: Rochester

Can anyone update us on some of the projects going up in Rochester - or on the status of some of the proposals that surfaced in the last couple of years?
by luigipaladio
January 16th, 2021, 12:49 pm
Forum: Transportation
Topic: Tunnels!
Replies: 157
Views: 57396

Re: Tunnels!

The Twin Cities are underlain by layers of sandstone and limestone. You can get an idea of the geology by taking a look at the cliffs on either side of the Mississippi gorge in St. Paul and to some extent in the gorge between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The University has a couple of buildings that we...
by luigipaladio
August 30th, 2020, 7:47 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: Eleven - 1111 West River Parkway - 41 stories / 550'
Replies: 381
Views: 218453

Re: Eleven - 1111 West River Parkway - 41 stories / 550'

The glass that has been installed so far does help diminish the sense that the precast panels of the facade are -- precast panels with punched windows. Somehow, the glass helps the fairly ornate detailing of the panels take on more of a stone-like look and feel. The light color of the panels - which...
by luigipaladio
August 30th, 2020, 7:23 pm
Forum: Minneapolis - Downtown
Topic: 21 North Washington - 27 stories - 300'
Replies: 66
Views: 86073

Re: 17 North Washington - CA - 27 stories - ~300'(?)

I suppose it's too much to hope that ESG will get really creative on this tower. This could be a serious reinforcement of the sense of the Hennepin Washington interesection really being a gateway to downtown a major point of passage on the Washington corridor. I'm surprised that CA Ventures is movin...
by luigipaladio
August 8th, 2020, 11:34 am
Forum: Suburbs
Topic: Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville - General Topics
Replies: 130
Views: 159755

Re: Eagan, Apple Valley, Burnsville - General Topics

Not sure what to make of night time lighting scheme for the new hotel at Viking Lakes. The basic shell of the building has some interesting elements, but the finishes and now the steadily shifting purple LED patterns that pretty much cover the face of the hotel are about as Vegas as they come. For b...