Driver2165

It's much bigger looking then I had imagined it.

I actually like the sandstone (I can't find anything that says for sure, but I think it's actually limestone, like the foshay, which can be quarried in MN or WI). I think it's good to use materials that can be collected locally, both in terms of creating visable local styles (like boston is red brick or montreal is grey granite) and in terms of being environmentally responsible. Without using local materials it would be impossible to pursue LEED certification.

We just bought tickets for the Philies and the Cubs in Philly early next month.

My problem isn't with limestone in a bubble. My problem is every single new project is limestone. Downtown is a sort of puke yellow. There's no contrast. It can't be the only local material. We went from pretty much only the Foshay (which seems to have a nice mellow patina after 90 years that the others lack) and the Wells Fargo building to everything.

Are they really going after LEED certification? I know they're running the electricity on burning garbage.

Yeah, they're going after LEED. It'll be the only sports stadium in the country (at least until Chicago or LA gets the next olympics).

Minnesota also has that red stone that the city hall is made out of, but I can understand why the architects would have chosen the lighter stone. That red stuff can seem a little heavy and imposing, whereas the yellow stuff gives a much cooler more inviting feel.

The foshay is an indiana limestone, so it has a little different color, but the others might change some over time to.

I'm still pretty ok with the whole downtown not having a lot of contrast (it'd be great if Mpls started making some houses out of non-wood-materials, too). People complain about Montreal too. There everything is very, very grey, but at the same time, you can just turn around and know you're in Montreal. There isn't a lot of minneapolis where you can turn around a say "hey, Minneapolis" and not Cleveland, St. Louis, ect, ect.

Yeah, they're going after LEED. It'll be the only sports stadium in the country (at least until Chicago or LA gets the next olympics).

Minnesota also has that red stone that the city hall is made out of, but I can understand why the architects would have chosen the lighter stone. That red stuff can seem a little heavy and imposing, whereas the yellow stuff gives a much cooler more inviting feel.

The foshay is an indiana limestone, so it has a little different color, but the others might change some over time to.

I'm still pretty ok with the whole downtown not having a lot of contrast (it'd be great if Mpls started making some houses out of non-wood-materials, too). People complain about Montreal too. There everything is very, very grey, but at the same time, you can just turn around and know you're in Montreal. There isn't a lot of minneapolis where you can turn around a say "hey, Minneapolis" and not Cleveland, St. Louis, ect, ect.

dude, is it just me, or is there a standing room section in the outfield. That just got me really excited.

yeah i think that's all public plaza. there's portholes in the wall too. you can watch the game without a ticket.

i paid attention today when i drove down the mall 18 times. 90% of the limestone downtown is in new buildings with an architectural style that wouldn't be out of place in eden prairie. very very generic. it's all light yellow and opaque blue glass.

there is some limestone with character. you mentioned foshay. i love the post office. even the wcco building is a little interesting. but all the new generic buildings all look exactly like the federal reserve building. (even the nicollet skyscraper condo thingy with it's business in the front party in the back architecture [what does that say about minneapolis if our skyscrapers were inspired by a mullet?])

The "knothole" thing is an interesting idea—getting to watch a MLB game without paying for it! What else would we expect in DFL country?

heh I think Chris forgot which party likes to get stuff like roads and sewers without having to pay for them

"90% of the limestone downtown is in new buildings with an architectural style that wouldn't be out of place in eden prairie. very very generic"

Your complaint here seems to be more about architectural style then the material though. Maybe it's just so prevelent that you've ended up associating the generic bigbox/officetower style with the material. I mean it's style possible to build an entire city with one material (red brick/boston or glass/vancouver) and still keep it interesting.

If you look at the drawings that were posted (which I can anymore because of stupid startrib signup) you'll actually see some interesting things about the architecture that I think the sandstone really encourages. One is the interesting way in which the architect plays with the concept of indoor/outdoor. I think that's really good when you have a use that is really mostly outdoor, but I think a lot of stadiums fail in that regard. If you look at the gate that they have the drawing of (with the proshop right next to it) it's almost cave-like (which works well with the stone), so it's like you're surrounding by the building, but you are still "outside" in some way too. I also really like that it's a really minneapolis/modern feeling building rather then a postmodern-hi-i'm-fenway-1909-brick sort of thing. It's taking dimensions from the past that have worked and are good, but it's not replicating the past in it's architecture.

amen.

This has absolutely nothing to do with limestone, stadia, etc., so apologize. Anyway, I just got off your bus and am feeling like a big dork becauseI didn't say anything--didn't want to seem all starstruck or something. But thanks for the ride.

Uh, that's supposed to say "*I* apologize". I am not commanding you to apologize.

Hmm... at 4:30 you must have been on for the broken farebox and me grumping at the kids with the radio. Good times.

Impeach for Peace, a Minnesota-based impeachment group, has researched a method for impeaching the president using a little known and rarely used part of the Rules of the House of Representatives (" Jefferson ’s Manual"). This document actually empowers individual citizens to initiate the impeachment process themselves.

http://impeachforpeace.org/ImpeachNow.html

Sausage races!

Sorry. I am still so excited. Hurray!

Hey there! I didn't know how else to reach you regarding gdiapers. So here I am under the Drawings comments. Do you know where I can buy them locally here in Minneapolis? Thanks much. Raquel

The Wedge, Linden HIlls Coop, and Whole Foods all have them. There's also a case discount.