Go North, Young Man

North Minneapolis has been one of those areas I've been warned to avoid since moving here. It is dangerous, you will get robbed, stay away. So you can imagine my anxiety when my professor for my service learning class announced our study area was West Broadway and Penn, right in the heart of North Minneapolis. I will admit, the first time we visited our community partner, Juxtaposition Arts, I was a bit uneasy. But throughout the semester, the more I visited those neighborhoods, the more I learned about them. They are no different than the rest of the city. The only major difference is a lack of investment by the city. While Minneapolis was pumping money into Uptown, Lake Calhoun, and West River Parkway, the communities in North Minneapolis were largely overlooked. This all changed when the tornado struck in May 201. Suddenly the metro's spotlight was shone on North Minneapolis and groups got what was their first look at that part of the city.

This assistance has come to the aid of groups that have been already investing and assisting citizens and businesses in the area. Juxtaposition Arts is an arts education location that not only hold classes for youth, but also paints murals, etc throughout the West Broadway corridor. The other group, the one with which I partnered for my project, is the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition (WBC). This group is aimed at assisting businesses in the area through various grant programs and the like. It was through them that I developed my project.

WBC has a facade improvement grant in partnership with the City of Minneapolis that allows businesses to reconstruct and upgrade their facade. This not only increases their business, it improves the aesthetic of the entire corridor. WBC had identified a business owner who was debating applying for a grant and whose facade could use an upgrade. I am going to contact the owner and the worker for WBC that I partnered with for permission to use the name and photos of the business. It is next door to WBC's offices.

Okay, this is getting long winded. Here's the quick breakdown of what I did. I did studies of the other Facade Improvement projects that the owner mentioned he liked. I also walked around other neighborhoods in Minneapolis for inspiration. Some ideas he brought included the reintroduction of glass tot he facade, but not too much due to security. Also, he wanted some form of art incorporated into the facade, maybe highlighting the history of printing technologies. Other than that, I was off to the races.

Model of the existing facade in SketchUp

For the first design concept, I really ran with the idea of the glass. I took the panel above the first level and turned it into stainless steel where I placed a sign made of gears from a printing press supporting letterpress blocks. I then opened up the first level with glass. Above the panel, I placed dramatic lighting, stainless steel tiles, and revamped windows.

Model of Design 1 in SketchUp

For the second design concept, I was a bit more reserved with the glass, surrounding it with bulky frames painted a light tan or cream color to brighten up the north-facing facade. I placed a black metal awning where the panel was and placed a cut-out metal sign. Finally, with improved lighting and colorful tile above, the second design concept was finished.

Model of Design 2 in SketchUp

The interview in which I presented the designs began in the most depressing way possible. He looked at the first design and said, "I don't like anything." I assumed he had looked at both designs, and my heat sunk. All that work and he hated all of it. Trying to regain what little confidence I had left, I was scrambling compile a list of what he wanted, the WBC worker pointed out there was a second design. He pulled that one out and, much to my relief, was exactly what he wanted. The more conservative use of glass and the awning were right what he wanted. He liked the sign from the first design, but that was it. He also suggested some sort of bars for the windows that were artistically done so that they didn't look like security bars. Also, the left door in the alcove he wanted to pull out to be flush with the rest of the facade. These are some unfortunate realities of designing in North Minneapolis, but didn't need to be negatives. After combining the features he liked, I presented my final design of my class and WBC. I dropped them off at the business because our schedules never matched up. I do know he has begun the bid process and hopefully, one day I will be able to drive down West Broadway and see some elements of my design on his facade!

I almost feel like a real architect!

Model of the final design in SketchUp