New Animated Film Tells the Heartbreaking Story of Minneapolis’ Lost Gateway
Sunday, August 21, 2016 at 7:32AMExcerpt from MinnPost:
John Akre’s new film, Demolition Dreaming, is dedicated to his mother, Katherine, who, as he puts it, “took me on a tour of the Metropolitan Building before I was born.” For those unfamiliar with it, the Metropolitan Building is largely recognized as the biggest loss for Minneapolis preservationists, a gorgeous 1890s Richardsonian Romanesque office tower torn down in the early 1960s as part of the city’s massive “Gateway” urban renewal project.
Akre’s new film, set to debut at this weekend’s Square Lake Music and Film Festival, tells a story of the lost Gateway neighborhood, a personal narrative that imagines the old city in a way that deeply humanizes the lost city. Of the many stories and remembrances of the old Gateway, Akre’s rough film stands out for its poignant beauty.
