Preserve Minneapolis February 2013 newsletter

Preserve Minneapolis Monthly Newsletter

Vol. 6, No. 2 (February 2013) 

In this newsletter: 

NEWS: Preserve Minneapolis is hiring a tour coordinator! 

UPCOMING EVENTS: Breakfast With a Preservationist: Modernism Revisited

Do you have an event or news item for the next Preserve Minneapolis newsletter? Send it to our editor, Doug Mack (Preserve Minneapolis) dmack@preserveminneapolis.org, by February 20th to be included in the March Newsletter.

For the latest news, events, and conversation find us on Facebook. 

 

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PRESERVE MINNEAPOLIS NEWS

 

WE'RE HIRING! Preserve Minneapolis seeks a Tour Coordinator for its 2013 Summer Walking & Biking Tours

Position Description: Preserve Minneapolis plans and executes a series of summer walking and biking tours that explore some of the city’s most unique historic places. The Tour Coordinator will be responsible for developing and executing the 2013 program.

This is a contract position, with pay of $5,000. 

 

Please submit applications via email to Elizabeth Gales, Board President ( egales@preserveminneapolis.org) by February 8th. 

 

For the full position description and all the other pertinent details, please visit our web site. 

 

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Peavey Plaza Listed on National Register of Historic Places

We're so pleased to announce that Peavey Plaza, the endangered Modernest plaza on Nicollet Mall, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as of January 14th. Peavey joins an elite group of works on the National Register--of the more than 88,000 sites on the Register, fewer than 2,500 have significance in landscape architecture. Hess, Roise and Company, prepared Peavey Plaza's National Register nomination. Speaking to Finance & Commerce, Larry Millett--author of Lost Twin Cities, The AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, and many other books and articles about Twin Cities architecture--said, "It’s not a black-and-white case. But I’d say that absolutely, the park service decision should say to city officials that that this is an important space. The preservationists aren’t being crazy about this. This should make them think long and hard again about their decision before moving ahead." 

 

For more details, please read the story at Finance & Commerce. Thank you to everyone who has supported the preservation of this unique historic space--and please continue your support as this important preservation battle continues. 

 

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PRESERVE MINNEAPOLIS EVENTS

 

Breakfast With a Preservationist: MODERNISM REVISITED

When: Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 8am-9am

Where: ADM Conference Room, 6th Floor // Mill City Museum // 710 South Second Street

Cost: This event is free!

Several years ago, our first season of Breakfast with a Preservationist had preservation of Modern architecture as a theme. Now Modernism is back!

We will hear from a four-person panel about the successes and setbacks in the preservation of Modernism across the country. We will also find out what the future may hold. The panel will include: Todd Grover, AIA, MacDonald and Mack Architects; Gordon Olschlager, architect; Charlene Roise, President of Hess, Roise and Company; and Victoria Young, Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Art History, University of Saint Thomas. A question-and-answer period with the audience will follow the panel discussion.

Coffee and goodies will be available. Parking is available in the ramp across the street and inmetered spaces along South Second Street.
 

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OTHER NEWS

 

Minnesota History Day Needs Judges! 
Thousands of Minnesota students are putting the finishing touches on their History Day projects as they prepare for Regional contests, which will take place across the state in March. 

More than 5,600 Minnesota students will compete at Regional and State History Day events this year. The Minnesota Historical society has put out a call: 

 

We will need the help of hundreds of dedicated judges to make these events possible. We hope you will be able to join us for one - or more - of these events in 2013. 

Judging for Regional competitions will be held between March 2 and March 25, with State History Day taking place on Saturday, May 4, 2013. While we still need judges at all of our events, we are especially looking for judges at several regional events, including the Minneapolis Public School Regional, Anwatin Middle School, Minneapolis (Saturday, March 23). 

We always need plenty of experienced History Day judges to help out with State History Day, which takes places on Saturday, May 4 at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus.

Judges don’t have to be historians. Volunteers are needed from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Volunteer for as little as one five-hour shift or multiple days at more than one event. Paper and website judging can even be done from home. An orientation will be provided on event days along with additional training opportunities leading up to the spring events.

To register as a judge, visit our website: http://education.mnhs.org/historyday/judges

OTHER EVENTS

 

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Free Tours of Christ Church Lutheran

Date: Second Sunday of every month, 11:00 a.m.  
Location: Christ Church Lutheran, 3244 Thirty-fourth Avenue South (map)

Join the Friends of Christ Church Lutheran for docent-led tours of this National Historic Landmark, which was designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen. For more information, visit www.FriendsofCCL.org. This event is free!

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For the latest Preserve Minneapolis news and events, find us on Facebook.

Twin Cities Residents Invited to Help Make History

Minnesota Historical Society Holds Public "Listening Sessions" in St. Paul December 6.
 
What do you want to accomplish with history funds from Minnesota's Legacy Amendment over the next 20 years? 

The Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) will ask Twin Cities residents that question at two listening sessions on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, at Historic Fort Snelling.   The first session, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, is open to people currently working in the history field.  The second listening session, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., is open to the general public.  For directions and information about Historic Fort Snelling, please visit www.historicfortsnelling.org/plan-visit/directions.
 
The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment was approved by Minnesota voters in November 2008.  One of the Amendment's four funds, the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF), supports the preservation of Minnesota's history and cultural heritage.  Many millions of ACHF dollars will be invested in Minnesota history over the 25-year life of the Legacy Amendment.
 
“We have an unprecedented opportunity to shape how history looks in the future,” said Matt Hill, MHS Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund Manager.  “We encourage Minnesotans to make history by giving a voice to this process.  What do you want to accomplish with Legacy history funds?”
 
To participate in either listening session, please RSVP to Nancy Franke Wilson, 763-360-3875 or mnhistory@comcast.net.
 
MHS is holding listening sessions in five communities throughout Minnesota in December.  Other listening sessions will be held in Marshall on Dec. 4, Virginia on Dec. 7, Owatonna on Dec. 11 and Detroit Lakes on Dec. 14. To learn about current MHS initiatives funded by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, please visit legacy.mnhs.org.
 
This event is made possible by the Legacy Amendment's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.
 
The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

Video - The New Collections Online Website from the Minnesota Historical Society

Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Agenda March 20, 2012

Happy 160th Birthday Hennepin County!

21st Annual Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Awards - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Preserve Minneapolis, American Institute of Architects Minneapolis, and the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission invite nominations of outstanding projects for the 21st Annual Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Awards.

The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Awards highlight the year’s best achievements for transforming or preserving a historic property, building, or landscape. Recognition is also given to those who submit projects that incorporate both new and old elements in a way that is respectful to the past. Submissions are judged on attention to the quality of design, architecture, workmanship, and materials as well as the positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood and community.

Awards are made based on nomination materials submitted. A jury comprised of three Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commissioners, three members of American Institute of Architects Minneapolis, and three board members from Preserve Minneapolis reviews nominations.

Nominations will be accepted Monday, February 27^th through Friday, April 6^th, 2012. Electronic nomination forms are available at: http://www.aia-mn.org/ext_about/local-chapters/minneapolis/ Self-nominations are encouraged.

The 21st Annual Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Awards will be held on Thursday, May 17th, 2012, 11:30 a.m., at International Market Square, 275 Market Street, Room 185, Minneapolis, MN.

Nominations are solicited in the following categories:

• Historic Restoration, Rehabilitation, or Adaptive Reuse Project:  Projects for nomination in this category are those where an existing place, property, building, or landscape was returned to its original character in a manner that is respectful to the property’s historic past or are those where an existing historic place, property, building, or landscape was transformed and reinvented to incorporate both new and old elements in a way that that is respectful of, but different from, the form of the past.

• New Addition to a Historic Building: Projects for nomination in this category are those where an addition was made to an existing place, property, building, or landscape in a manner that is respectful to the property’s historic past.

• New Construction within a Historic District: Projects for nomination in this category are those where a new building or landscape was added into one of the City’s existing heritage preservation districts.  Projects will be judged based on how well the new project fits into the existing historic district as well as the quality of design, architecture, workmanship, and materials.

• Community Education & Advocacy: This category is for nomination of projects that have made an overall contribution to preservation in Minneapolis beyond the physical construction or reconstruction of a building or landscape. This category is to recognize organizations and their preservation-related education and outreach projects.

• Recent Past Award: Projects for nomination in this category are those that restore, reuse, or add to a place, property, building, or landscape that originates from (approximately) the last 50 years. The Recent Past Award is designed to promote education and awareness of the materials, design techniques, and planning principles from the second half of the twentieth century.

• The Steve Murray Award: The Steve Murray Award is considered the top individual honor for preservation in Minneapolis.  It is awarded to an individual who has displayed leadership, courage, and dedication to heritage preservation in Minneapolis in the last year or over the course of their career or lifetime.

All Nominations are due to the American Institute of Architect Minnesota Office by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6, 2012. If you have questions about the awards or the nomination forms, please contact Preserve Minneapolis board member Tammy Lindberg at

(612) 251-8167 or tammydlindberg@gmail.com Electronic nomination forms are available at: http://www.aia-mn.org/ext_about/local-chapters/minneapolis/

Repairs Planned for Washburn Crosby Elevator No. 1

According to Brian Johnson's article in the February 4 Finance & Commerce, the Minnesota Historical Society is seeking construction bids to patch and repair the Washburn Crosby Elevator No. 1, part of a complex that rates among the most historically significant structures in Minneapolis.

MHS owns the building and wants to make it safe and prevent further decay. The estimated $1.25-$1.5 million in repairs will be paid for with asset preservation funds the MHS received from the state over several bonding cycles. 

Bids are due to MHS by February 23 for services that include demolition of the mill’s cast-in-place concrete roof over the grain bins, application of a waterproof membrane on head house roofs, concrete repairs, and installation of window and door coverings.

Mill City Museum Staff on Recent KFAI MinneCulture Feature: St. Anthony Falls

Mill City Museum Public Programs Specialist, David Stevens, and Director, Laura Salveson, featured in KFAI's January 4 MinneCulture segment entitled St. Anthony Falls.

Download here...

Boogie Woogie Birthday, "Andrew Sister" Maxene Born in Minneapolis 1/3/1916 [Video]

The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters:  contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967),  soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews (January 3, 1916 – October 21, 1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews (born February 16, 1918). Throughout their long career, the sisters sold well over 75 million records (the last official count released by MCA Records in the mid-1970s). Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of rhythm and blues or jump blues.

Patty, the youngest and the lead singer of the group, was only seven when the group was formed, and just 12 when they won first prize at a talent contest at the local Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, where LaVerne played piano accompaniment for the silent film showings in exchange for free dancing lessons for herself and her sisters. Once the sisters found fame and settled in California, their parents lived with them in a Brentwood estate in Los Angeles until their deaths. Several cousins from Minnesota followed them west. The sisters returned to Minneapolis at least once a year to visit family and friends and/or to perform.

Mill City Museum Sign Through Broken Window [Photo]

From November 2011 - The Mill City Museum is located in the Historic Mill District on the Minneapolis Riverfront.