urbanMSP

Yeah I think you're right. So the water tower building must be the alley facade of Powers Department Store maybe? Or perhaps it's a narrow infill building where the McDonald's was eventually built.

That's the one behind and adjacent to the Xcel building. The building across the street with the water tower is where the library is now.

Then the date of the photo is wrong, because the Library & Planetarium was built in 1960.

The biggest problem with the skylights is the curved roof and having skylights that don't leak with all of the freeze/thaw that goes on in the seasons. Will I agree that it would be awesome, but our climate makes it just another headache for maintenance. Skylights and water features up here are a m...

Ryan's Apartment/Hotel Project Could get Bigger: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/print-edition/2014/04/25/ryans-big-hotel-apartment-deal-near-new-vikings.html Anyone have a subscription?! I used to but don't anymore, and this story is behind the paywall. So, what you are telling me is that th...

Among other things, the Ritz block will be a delightful surprise. Lots of negotiations ahead for all the pieces to come into place. Nice retail component. New brands to the Twin Cities. Two CC hotel proposals. The shorter one is taller than you'd expect. Two Hennepin towers. And the info has not bee...

I'd like to think that we live in a city where the prevailing culture among people able to throw away thousands monthly on rent would rather spend less on fancy digs and give more to a charity/non-profit/good cause. Anyhoo, this being a lakefront property means prices are going to be a good deal hi...

Alternately, the city could offer up the 3rd ave side of the convention center to develop a hotel that's directly connected to the space. The 3rd ave side of the building it a blank wall that offer absolutely nothing. I could easily imagine a 25 floor hotel right there with a few small shop and res...

.... I'm troubled by anthroprogenic global warmists who refuse to publish (or even consider) skeptical papers in peer reviewed journals. That's not science, that's hiding behind a wall of group think. If this theory is so sound, people should welcome debate and rigourous challenge.... But the chall...

Sometimes urban walls are cool.

17 in the bulk of the buildings + 2 floors in the end towers + 1 mechanical floor + crown. 19 inhabited floors, 20 floors total. 301 feet.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to read the entire thread since it's 88 pages long. Do you know what page this argument is on? I'd be interested in reading it. It's hard to find. The "yard" is a term used in prisons to identify the common spaces used for exercise. Since there is a detention f...

With crazy people driving rental trucks loaded with fertilizer, I wonder what that "open" plaza is really going to look like. Hopefully the security bollards will be well designed.

We should be hearing more about the 50-story tower on Hennepin soon.

@AjKFAN at Twitter has posted images of the stadium model. Here are two:




https://twitter.com/AjKFAN/media

I posted this elsewhere but thought it might be good here, too. We've got to be careful judging this building from the peculiar monochromatic renderings. If the building had even moderately reflective glass it could end up looking more like this: http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/843/4awf.jpg

A renovation and "upgrade" of finishes to the 1st & 2nd floor of Capella Tower is underway. It's a $7 million project which will re-locate escalators and stairs. Perkins+Will is the architect. I wonder how one "upgrades" the already top-notch finishes? http://www.bizjournals....

Furthermore, how many high profile developers showed up and submitted plans for the stadium's parking ramp air rights proposal? One would think several developers would have been interested. The city only gave them a month. I'm not really surprised that only the two developers already working adjac...

^Not to be an annoying nit-picker but Minneapolis has an ordinance against signs and logos atop buildings.

No street level entrances on 7th? Lame. Downtown needs less of this. Ugh. Is this a thing where the architects of the world who design these kinds of projects don't understand how harmful this is to a city? Architects have nothing to do with this. They are beholden to the owner and to the building ...

^I agree. Keep up the good work m b p! The models are terrific. Even if the architecture is questionable.