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PAGE B6 • STAR TRIBUNE ** METRO/STATE SUNDAY, MAY 4.2003
PRESERVATION from 131
Thunderbird Hotel
a rare survivor on
ever-changing strip
If Summit .Avenue was the happening place
circa 1900, the 494 strip was the happening
place circa 1965.
The first stretch of 494 opened in 1960 to re-
place old Hwy. 5, which dated to Fort Snelling
days. -Up sprang the "Interstate landscape" of
large-scale, car -oriented development: Bigger
hotels, big office parks and big apartment com-
plexes replaced ma -and -pa motels, one-story
buildings and farms.
When Roise did her first "windshield survey"
of 494 in 1993, she found nine buildings that
represented this era of development.
Three have since disappeared.
The dramatic Southtown Theatre at 494 and
Penn Av. S. has been replaced by a faux -historic
shopping mall with a Starbucks and a Bruegger's
Bagels. The Metropolitan Sports Center, with its
flat roof and columns, gave way to an overflow
parking lot for the Mall of America. And the colo-
nial revival Naegele Building at the northwest
cloverleaf of 494 and 35W has been replaced by a
Galyan's.
"It's like watching the development cycle
fast -forward," she said.
That's one reason the Thunderbird stands
out. While no one can get too nostalgic about
the bland Radisson South or the white, modern
Pentagon Office Park; the Thunderbird has per-
sonality. And there's not much of that left on the
494 strip.
Maybe you remember the Southtown's funky
women's rooms, where each stall included a
separate sink and mirror for checking your
bright pink lipstick and beehive hairdo. Or you
remember the Rusty Scupper, a lounge with a
front like a boat, which drew singles to mingle
and Vikings to drink. Or the A -framed Anthon-
ie's clothing store and the English Tudor Eddie
Webster's restaurant.
Of course, not every funky building can be
saved. But preserving a few, like the Southtown
or the Thunderbird, can lend character to an
otherwise generic landscape, Roise said.
The Thunderbird, which celebrates its 40th
anniversary May 21, stands amazingly intact.
Giant statues of Native Americans decorate out-
door courtyards. Inside, Native American head-'
dresses decorate dioramas of stuffed wildlife.
The decor reflects owner Rodney Wallace's. indi-
vidual interests. And it's the complete opposite
of the generic "homey" look of all -suite hotels.
Such new hotels pose tough competition for
older bedroom motels like the Thunderbird,
said Larry Lee, Bloomington's community de-
velopment director. In the more distant future,
the Thunderbird site, just northeast of the Mall
of America, would be a prime candidate for the
mall's third phase.
Will the next generation wish the Thunder-
bird had been saved? Quite likely.
Preservation, like fashion, goes in cycles. We
reject our parent's style but embrace our grand-
parents'. Art Deco lovers in i' e 1920s hated any-
thing Victorian. Postwar modernists abhorred .
_Art Deco.
Now '50s style is cool, especially among those
too young to remember when it was new. And the
recent past is the hottest topic in preservation.
The challenges are many. The buildings
weren't made of the lasting materials used be-
fore the war. They look dated. And, when people .
can remember seeing them go up, it's hard to
imagine they're historic.
Bloomington has preserved its distant past,,
the old town hall and the home of the first set-
tler. But isn't the state's largest suburb really
about the strip?
"By the time the general public wakes up,"
said Roise, "the good stuff will be gone. Just
once, it would be nice to get ahead of the wave."
Linda Mack is at lmack@startribune:com.
(A«N DAR
National Preservation Week
(selected events)'
TODAY I
> Nooks and Crannies of Rice Park: Noon to 5 p.m., Landmark
Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul. Adults $5. 651-292-3225.
MONDAY
> St. Paul Preservation Awards Ceremony: 6:30 p. m., Wiging-
ton Pavilion, Harriet Island. $5. 612-B38-6763.
TUESDA
Beyond Buildings: Historic Presery ion in a New Century:
Metropolitan Council Chairman Pete Bell discusses open
space preservation issues. Free. 5 to 6:30 p. m., Weyerhaeu-
ser Auditorium, 75 W. 5th St., St Paul. 651-292-3225.
WEDNESDAY
)s- Minneapolis City Hall Tour: Noot,inRotunda, 315S.4th St..
Free; reservations required. 612-673-5301.
Guthrie Theater 40th Birthday Bash: A celebration of the an-
niversary of the theater's opening. 6 p. m., Vineland Place,
Minneapolis. Free. 612-823-6393.
SATURDAY
>- Hennepin Theater District Tour; iIa. m, to 2 p.m. Tickets
($15)available at Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Henne-
pinAv., Minneapolis. 612-341-6140.
SUNDAY, MAY 11
Cass Gilbert Society Mother's Day Stroll: Tour of Gilbert
buildings in Lowertown. 3 p. m. (feet at 413 Wacouta St., St.
Paul. $15. Call 612-338-198710 register.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
Minneapolis Preservation Awards Ceremony: 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m., International MarketSquare, 275 Market St.
$17. Reservations required byFiday. 612-673-2996.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Spring Bungalow Tour: Noon toy p. m. Begins at 333145th
Av. S., Minneapolis. $5. 612-724-5816.
A full calendar is avai6ble at 651-292-3276
orhttp://Www.landmarkeenter.org.
Minnesota's 10 most
endangered properties
Each year the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
compiles a list of the state's 10 most endangered historic
properties. The threats = decay, disuse and real-estate
development — are as varied as the places selected.
Terrace Theater
Robbinsdale
The angular Terrace has been a subur-
ban landmark since it opened in 1949.
Designed by movie theater architects
Liebenberg and Kaplan at the incep-
tion of the television era, it included a
1,300 -seat theater and a separate TV
room with cushy seating. Future rede-
velopment may — or may not — in-
clude the theater's reuse.
St. Rose of Lima Church
Cherry Grove Township
(Goodhue County)
The impressive 1878 limestone church
is eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places, but it is deteriorating.
A grass-roots group, the Friends of St.
Rose, is negotiating with the Archdio-
cese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,
which owns the building and has ex-
pressed interest in preserving it.
Pilot Knob
Mendota Heights
This bluff at the confluence of the Mis-
sissippi and Minnesota rivers is a sa-
cred site for Dakota Indians. It's prob-
ably also the place where the U.S. and'
two Dakota tribes signed the Treaty of
1851. Private developers are eyeing
the area for new houses, while a grass-
roots group has pushed for further
study, of the impact.
Guthrie Theater
Minneapolis
The national significance of the 1963
Guthrie — and its likely demolition —
have earned it a place on the list for
the third.straight year. If the Guthrie
company moves to a planned new riv-
erfront complex, the Walker Art Cen-
terplan s to r Vineland Place
th which was desi ed by Min-
eauolis architect Rale lean
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•+ 1 • '+
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I i
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PAGE B6 • STAR TRIBUNE ** METRO/STATE SUNDAY, MAY 4.2003
PRESERVATION from 131
Thunderbird Hotel
a rare survivor on
ever-changing strip
If Summit .Avenue was the happening place
circa 1900, the 494 strip was the happening
place circa 1965.
The first stretch of 494 opened in 1960 to re-
place old Hwy. 5, which dated to Fort Snelling
days. -Up sprang the "Interstate landscape" of
large-scale, car -oriented development: Bigger
hotels, big office parks and big apartment com-
plexes replaced ma -and -pa motels, one-story
buildings and farms.
When Roise did her first "windshield survey"
of 494 in 1993, she found nine buildings that
represented this era of development.
Three have since disappeared.
The dramatic Southtown Theatre at 494 and
Penn Av. S. has been replaced by a faux -historic
shopping mall with a Starbucks and a Bruegger's
Bagels. The Metropolitan Sports Center, with its
flat roof and columns, gave way to an overflow
parking lot for the Mall of America. And the colo-
nial revival Naegele Building at the northwest
cloverleaf of 494 and 35W has been replaced by a
Galyan's.
"It's like watching the development cycle
fast -forward," she said.
That's one reason the Thunderbird stands
out. While no one can get too nostalgic about
the bland Radisson South or the white, modern
Pentagon Office Park; the Thunderbird has per-
sonality. And there's not much of that left on the
494 strip.
Maybe you remember the Southtown's funky
women's rooms, where each stall included a
separate sink and mirror for checking your
bright pink lipstick and beehive hairdo. Or you
remember the Rusty Scupper, a lounge with a
front like a boat, which drew singles to mingle
and Vikings to drink. Or the A -framed Anthon-
ie's clothing store and the English Tudor Eddie
Webster's restaurant.
Of course, not every funky building can be
saved. But preserving a few, like the Southtown
or the Thunderbird, can lend character to an
otherwise generic landscape, Roise said.
The Thunderbird, which celebrates its 40th
anniversary May 21, stands amazingly intact.
Giant statues of Native Americans decorate out-
door courtyards. Inside, Native American head-'
dresses decorate dioramas of stuffed wildlife.
The decor reflects owner Rodney Wallace's. indi-
vidual interests. And it's the complete opposite
of the generic "homey" look of all -suite hotels.
Such new hotels pose tough competition for
older bedroom motels like the Thunderbird,
said Larry Lee, Bloomington's community de-
velopment director. In the more distant future,
the Thunderbird site, just northeast of the Mall
of America, would be a prime candidate for the
mall's third phase.
Will the next generation wish the Thunder-
bird had been saved? Quite likely.
Preservation, like fashion, goes in cycles. We
reject our parent's style but embrace our grand-
parents'. Art Deco lovers in i' e 1920s hated any-
thing Victorian. Postwar modernists abhorred .
_Art Deco.
Now '50s style is cool, especially among those
too young to remember when it was new. And the
recent past is the hottest topic in preservation.
The challenges are many. The buildings
weren't made of the lasting materials used be-
fore the war. They look dated. And, when people .
can remember seeing them go up, it's hard to
imagine they're historic.
Bloomington has preserved its distant past,,
the old town hall and the home of the first set-
tler. But isn't the state's largest suburb really
about the strip?
"By the time the general public wakes up,"
said Roise, "the good stuff will be gone. Just
once, it would be nice to get ahead of the wave."
Linda Mack is at lmack@startribune:com.
(A«N DAR
National Preservation Week
(selected events)'
TODAY I
> Nooks and Crannies of Rice Park: Noon to 5 p.m., Landmark
Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul. Adults $5. 651-292-3225.
MONDAY
> St. Paul Preservation Awards Ceremony: 6:30 p. m., Wiging-
ton Pavilion, Harriet Island. $5. 612-B38-6763.
TUESDA
Beyond Buildings: Historic Presery ion in a New Century:
Metropolitan Council Chairman Pete Bell discusses open
space preservation issues. Free. 5 to 6:30 p. m., Weyerhaeu-
ser Auditorium, 75 W. 5th St., St Paul. 651-292-3225.
WEDNESDAY
)s- Minneapolis City Hall Tour: Noot,inRotunda, 315S.4th St..
Free; reservations required. 612-673-5301.
Guthrie Theater 40th Birthday Bash: A celebration of the an-
niversary of the theater's opening. 6 p. m., Vineland Place,
Minneapolis. Free. 612-823-6393.
SATURDAY
>- Hennepin Theater District Tour; iIa. m, to 2 p.m. Tickets
($15)available at Hennepin Center for the Arts, 528 Henne-
pinAv., Minneapolis. 612-341-6140.
SUNDAY, MAY 11
Cass Gilbert Society Mother's Day Stroll: Tour of Gilbert
buildings in Lowertown. 3 p. m. (feet at 413 Wacouta St., St.
Paul. $15. Call 612-338-198710 register.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
Minneapolis Preservation Awards Ceremony: 11:30 a.m. to
1:30 p.m., International MarketSquare, 275 Market St.
$17. Reservations required byFiday. 612-673-2996.
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Spring Bungalow Tour: Noon toy p. m. Begins at 333145th
Av. S., Minneapolis. $5. 612-724-5816.
A full calendar is avai6ble at 651-292-3276
orhttp://Www.landmarkeenter.org.
Minnesota's 10 most
endangered properties
Each year the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
compiles a list of the state's 10 most endangered historic
properties. The threats = decay, disuse and real-estate
development — are as varied as the places selected.
Terrace Theater
Robbinsdale
The angular Terrace has been a subur-
ban landmark since it opened in 1949.
Designed by movie theater architects
Liebenberg and Kaplan at the incep-
tion of the television era, it included a
1,300 -seat theater and a separate TV
room with cushy seating. Future rede-
velopment may — or may not — in-
clude the theater's reuse.
St. Rose of Lima Church
Cherry Grove Township
(Goodhue County)
The impressive 1878 limestone church
is eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places, but it is deteriorating.
A grass-roots group, the Friends of St.
Rose, is negotiating with the Archdio-
cese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,
which owns the building and has ex-
pressed interest in preserving it.
Pilot Knob
Mendota Heights
This bluff at the confluence of the Mis-
sissippi and Minnesota rivers is a sa-
cred site for Dakota Indians. It's prob-
ably also the place where the U.S. and'
two Dakota tribes signed the Treaty of
1851. Private developers are eyeing
the area for new houses, while a grass-
roots group has pushed for further
study, of the impact.
Guthrie Theater
Minneapolis
The national significance of the 1963
Guthrie — and its likely demolition —
have earned it a place on the list for
the third.straight year. If the Guthrie
company moves to a planned new riv-
erfront complex, the Walker Art Cen-
terplan s to r Vineland Place
th which was desi ed by Min-
eauolis architect Rale lean
Shoreham Yards and Roundhouse
Minneapolis
One of the last vestiges of the city's rail=
road history, the northeast Minneapo
maintenance yards and 48 -stall rou
house are no longer used. The sit e-
ed city historic designa,Jioa�irr000,
and ze vors its reuse.
The owner, Canadian Pacific, still uses
the site and hasn't favored preservation
of the roundhouse and yards.
Farmers' Equity Elevator and Sack House
St- Paul
After farmers objected to the Minne-
apolis Grain Exchange's pricing in
1914, they ended up building the na-
tion's first successful cooperative ele-
vator near St. Paul's Upper Landing.
The intriguing buildings add to the
riverfront's mystery, but a recent com-
petition failed to generate realistic
ideas for their reuse.
Morris Area Elementary School,
Morris (Stevens County)
Built in 1914 as Morris High School,
the building and its later additions
served as the elementary school when
the high school moved to a new, mod-
ern building. Now a new elementary
school is planned, and the future of
the abandoned school remains uncer-
tain. A study has suggested reuse for
education or housing.
Litchfield Opera House
Litchfield (Meeker County)
Local musical performances and trav-
eling theater troupes once filled the
Renaissance Revival theater, which
was built in 1900. Sarah Bernhardt re-
putedly once performed within its yel-
low brick walls. The city remodeled
the theater as a community building
in 1935 and still owns it. The building
is vacant and filled with mold.
MacDougall Farm
Bellevue Township (Morrison County)
In 1847 William Whipple Warren set
up a trading post on the Mississippi
River to serve fur traders on the Red
River ox -cart trail. From 1873 to 1962,
the MacDougall family farmed the
land. Remnants of the trading post are
gone, but an 1874 barn, a Georgian
Revival house and several outbuild-
ings stand in various states of decay.
Compiled by Linda Mack • Photos hyDougOhman/PioneerPhotography
.
L
Winton Guest House
Orono
��•�
The design of the guest house
was a breakthrough for now world-
x.
famous architect Frank Gehry. Its vil-
'
lage-like sculptural form comple-
ments a modernist brick house de-
signed by Philip Johnson in the 1950s.
1
3
The tw€, properties have been divided,.
...
increasing the real-estate value of the
"11
111
land under the guest house.
Shoreham Yards and Roundhouse
Minneapolis
One of the last vestiges of the city's rail=
road history, the northeast Minneapo
maintenance yards and 48 -stall rou
house are no longer used. The sit e-
ed city historic designa,Jioa�irr000,
and ze vors its reuse.
The owner, Canadian Pacific, still uses
the site and hasn't favored preservation
of the roundhouse and yards.
Farmers' Equity Elevator and Sack House
St- Paul
After farmers objected to the Minne-
apolis Grain Exchange's pricing in
1914, they ended up building the na-
tion's first successful cooperative ele-
vator near St. Paul's Upper Landing.
The intriguing buildings add to the
riverfront's mystery, but a recent com-
petition failed to generate realistic
ideas for their reuse.
Morris Area Elementary School,
Morris (Stevens County)
Built in 1914 as Morris High School,
the building and its later additions
served as the elementary school when
the high school moved to a new, mod-
ern building. Now a new elementary
school is planned, and the future of
the abandoned school remains uncer-
tain. A study has suggested reuse for
education or housing.
Litchfield Opera House
Litchfield (Meeker County)
Local musical performances and trav-
eling theater troupes once filled the
Renaissance Revival theater, which
was built in 1900. Sarah Bernhardt re-
putedly once performed within its yel-
low brick walls. The city remodeled
the theater as a community building
in 1935 and still owns it. The building
is vacant and filled with mold.
MacDougall Farm
Bellevue Township (Morrison County)
In 1847 William Whipple Warren set
up a trading post on the Mississippi
River to serve fur traders on the Red
River ox -cart trail. From 1873 to 1962,
the MacDougall family farmed the
land. Remnants of the trading post are
gone, but an 1874 barn, a Georgian
Revival house and several outbuild-
ings stand in various states of decay.
Compiled by Linda Mack • Photos hyDougOhman/PioneerPhotography
.
L
rZ
PAGE F20 • STAR TRIBUNE
ARCHITECTURE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16.2001
Guest house may prove to be a movable feast for Walker Art Center's sculpture garden.
Gehry, Johnson houses may part company
Star Tribune photos by Stormi Greener
Frank Gehry's guest house signaled his turn to architecture as a collection of distinct forms. The squared -off cone is the central gathering
spot, the brick cube with the chimney holds the cozy inglenook and the limestone hump on the left and metal -covered shed on the right hold
two bedrooms.
By Linda Mack
Star Tribune Staff Writer
0 n high ground
overlooking Lake
Minnetonka stands
an architectural
duo well-known only to aficio-
nados. A 1952 classic modern-
ist house by Philip Johnson,
architect of the IDS Center and
other U.S. landmarks, sits
within view of a 1987 guest
house designed by the now
world-famous Frank Gehry.
Johnson designed the Mies-
ian brick -and -glass house
soon after he earned interna-
tional acclaim for his own
Glass House in New Canaan,
Conn. Gehry designed the
sculptural guest house just as
Walker Art Center's 1986 retro-
spective brought him to broad
attention. The six -room, six -
shape house also signaled
Gehry's turn toward architec-
e as a collection of disparate
orrNs.
Quietly owned by art collec-
tors and philanthropists Mike
and Penny Winton until this
summer, the houses and sur-
rounding 11 -acre property
have been bought by Minne-
apolis developer Kirt Wood-
house.
"It was an expensive and
difficult decision," said Wood-
house, who just finished build-
ing a lakefront house nearby.
"I didn't know what I wanted
to do with it. And I still don't."
But he's thinking of moving
the guest house to a more pub-
lic location.
"It's been here for 14 years,
and very few people have seen
it," he said as he sat on the
Johnson house's understated
gravel terrace overlooking the
distant lake. "If it were at the
Walker or another public
place, thousands of people
could see it."
It's an idea the Winton
have embraced. They put re-
strictions on changing or de-
molishing the houses to pre-
vent some-
one from
buying the
. propertyjust
1for the land,
Penny Win-
ton said. But
moving it is a
very creative
Minneapolis idea, "if it can
deti�-dGpev KCyt be -properly
Woodhouse sited," she
recently pur- said. "It's an
chased the early work of
Winton prop- an architect
erty in Orono. who's just
reaching such
levels of world domination
that it will have historical
importance."
One possible location is the
Walker's existing or future ex-
panded sculpture garden. Wal -
ker director Kathy Halbreich
called the Winton guest house
"an extremely influential work
of architecture which is in su-
perb condition," and said the
Walker "would be interested in
helping to secure its place in
architectural history, provid-
ing it can be safely moved and
its future care could be en-
dowed."
Woodhouse said he plans
to explore other possibilities
such as the nearby Minneton-
ka Center for the Arts, the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
or a private but visible site like
the General Mills campus on
Interstate Hwy. 394.
A pricey proposition
Moving the Gehry house is
a pricey proposition. "It would
be six figures," Woodhouse
said. "I'm in the process of
finding out. But I want it to be
preserved and also have it in
the public domain."
It's also possible the guest
house could be sold and re-
main on its original site.
Woodhouse has divided the
11 -acre property into three
lots: one for the Johnson
house, another for the Gehry
house or a future new house,
and an open lot. In the short
term, he plans to rent the
houses for at least a year.
The Wintons moved into
Designers to speak
Two candidates to replace William Morrish as
director of the Design Center of the American
Urban Landscape will give lectures in upcoming
weeks. Ann Forsyth, associate professor of urban
planning at the Harvard Design School and for-
mer co-director of the Urban Places Project at the
University of Massachusetts in Amherst, will
speak on Sept. 24. Todd Bressi, executive director
of the journal "Places," who teaches at the Uni-
Gilbert lecture
Dr. Barbara Christen will speak on architect Cass
Gilbert's master plans for the Minnesota State
Capitol and the University of Minnesota at 7 p.m.
Sept. 25 at the University Club, 420 Summit Av.,
Linda Mack
Gehry's 1987
guesthouse
contrasts with
the classic
modernist
1952 house
by Philip John-
son(seen in
background).
Gehry
used the same
type of brick
to help tie the
two together.
versity of Pennsylvania and Pratt Institute, will
speak on Oct. 8. Both talks will be at 5:30 p.m. at
the Bell Museum Auditorium, 10 Church St. S.E.,
Minneapolis.
St. Paul. Christen is co-editor of a recent collec-
tion of essays, "Cass Gilbert, Life and Work: Archi-
tect of the Public Domain." Call Jean Velleu at
651-298-1127 for more information.
bHOME & GARDEN SHOWS"
FALL EDITION
October 12 - 14, 2001 Minneapolis Convention Center
Shop the NKBA Garage Sale & find huge savings on kitchen & bath components!
the Johnson house in 1964,
soon after they had finished
building a house designed by
Ralph Rapson. They fell in love
with the pristine, powerful
house, which had been de-
signed for former Minneapolis
Institute of Arts curator Rich-
ard Davis.
"It was always a gentle
place to live in," Winton said.
"It made me respect propor-
tion. That inner garden [an in-
terior open-air atrium] was al-
ways comforting in the winter.
It surprisingly well survived
five children."
After the children had chil-
dren of their own the Winton
wanted more space, and they
approached Johnson about an
addition. "He was very bored
with the idea," Winton said.
They read a New York Times
Inside the guest house, the cone creates an intimate yet soaring space
with windows and a glass ceiling, giving a heady view of the sky.
Magazine article on Gehry and
thought his innovative spirit
might mesh well with John-
son's.
The rectilinear and strictly
proportioned Johnson house
became a foil for Gehry's intri-
cately designed guest house, a
village -like collection of
shapes: a tall metal -covered
cone, a curved limestone
hump, a smaller metal -clad
shed, a brick cube that match-
es the Johnson house, a garage
covered in Finnish plywood
and an aluminum -covered
cube poking up above the ga-
rage.
The house won House and
Garden magazine's design
award for 1987. Martin Filler,
author of the article, predicted
that Gehry's future public
work would build on the bril-
liance of the house. Given
Gehry's Guggenheim Museum
in Bilbao, Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles and other land-
marks under way, the remark'
— and the Winton guest house
— were prophetic. .
— Linda Mack is at
lmack@startribune.com.
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