The Historic Architecture of Minneapolis

In August 2015 my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Minneapolis for a job interview for her. Having not explored (or visited) the mid-West before, I jumped at the chance to accompany her and could not have been more surprised at the Deco, Art Nouveau, and classic architecture the urban area is hiding.Minneapolis 2015_11

Minneapolis has an excellent array of building types, all connected via their amazing skyway system of bridges. From a structural perspective alone that means they are tying new and old structures together where the bridges have one one motion of movement, and each building type has a separate motion with no failures. When you take into account the construction of the old buildings and their craftsmanship, it becomes truly impressive.

Minneapolis 2015_4The buildings date mostly from the 1920’s onward with a few modern skyscrapers anchoring the verticality of the urban area. There appears to be a good portion of the property available for rental and renovation, with most historic facades already restored.

Among the gems in the gallery bellow of our walking tour of downtown you will find a beautiful terracotta facade, and amazing infill museum in an historic flour mill plant, art deco facades, and a modern tower for contrast.


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