Streetscapes

Is the reign of the skyscraper over in the Twin Cities?

With demand for office space weak, it's unlikely Minneapolis or St. Paul will see massive additions to their skylines.

Downtown Minneapolis once set the standard for Christmas decorations

People used to flock to downtown Minneapolis for its elaborate holiday displays.

Few will be blue as mirrored glass towers disappear from downtown Minneapolis

The Wells Fargo Operations Center is slated next for replacement.

1910's St. Paul Hotel is just the latest hotel to grace downtown corner

The corner of W. 5th and St. Peter streets has been devoted to the same use for more than 150 years.

Is there a future for neighborhood theaters in the Twin Cities?

They have a storied past. They can have a future — if we buy tickets.

Nicollet Mall, once an urban oasis, is now flowerless

The parklike greensward of the rendering for the planned remake doesn't match the current stark reality.

Why the Minnesota State Fair is the best small town in the state

The fairgrounds offer an eclectic mix of architecture, walkability and storefronts.

A sculpture made waves when it was installed in Minneapolis. And then one day it was gone

We went in search of "Inner Search."

The 'dangerous' days of downtown Minneapolis dance halls

A long-forgotten dance hall in downtown Minneapolis flustered local guardians of morality.

These Twin Cities Depression-era projects have stood the test of time

The Armory, the Minneapolis Post Office and a State Fair building are among those still actively used today.

The days of pins and pool in downtown Minneapolis

The forgotten life of a long-empty parking lot.

The story behind the makeover of the 50-year-old IDS Crystal Court

How the remake of the 50-year-old icon of downtown Minneapolis came to be.

The skyscraper that could have redefined downtown St. Paul

When a promising office tower proposal fizzled in 1970, it set off a dispiriting architectural chain reaction.

RBC Gateway in downtown Minneapolis isn't splashy, but it's functional

Review: It's big and it's blue, but it's no threat to the IDS.

Readers help solve Milwaukee Road mystery

The mystery of the vanishing top of the Milwaukee Road Depot tower

How long has the cupola been gone? And what happened to it?

Tiny World Theater was one of many stylish movie houses in downtown Minneapolis

Former New Garden Theater changed its address from one street to another without moving.

Billboards could bring some much needed life to downtown Minneapolis streets

There was a time when billboards were fun, bright, vivacious and artistic.

Beautiful, useless towers adorned Twin Cities mansions in Victorian era

The mania for towers reached its height in the 1880s, when the busy Queen Anne style was in full flower.

8 missed opportunities on the Minneapolis streetscape

There's always room for improvement to make Minneapolis a more livable city.

Is the graffiti on Twin Cities sound barriers and ramps art or visual litter?

The longer it stays, the more graffiti appears.

Why the Dale Street I-94 overpass is a role model for freeway design

The Dale Street I-94 overpass incorporates pedestrians, bikes and saner car traffic patterns. It's also a tiny step in rebuilding the Rondo neighborhood.

Minnesota's five-and-dime stores were the Target of 20th-century Main Street

Dime stores offered everything from socks to hamburgers.

At the University of Minnesota's Pillsbury Hall, everything old is new again

One of the oldest buildings on campus was remade into the home of the university's English department.

A section of St. Paul's stately Summit Avenue was lost to the wrecking ball

The multi-block, mixed-use section of the storied avenue was on the edge of downtown.

These 11 projects by Minnesota architects won awards for excellence in 2021

Annual awards recognize sustainability and human scale as well as function and form.

Skyscrapers rule downtowns, but we need smaller buildings, too

Two- and three-story buildings create character and a more human scale.

From a southern Twin Cities lake to a street in St. Paul, this builder threw his name around

Engineer and real estate developer left his mark – and his name – across the Twin Cities.

Minneapolis' 701 Building has kept its slightly kooky, 1980s charm

A popped-collar building is tucked in Minneapolis' buttoned-down skyline.

Who said Victorians couldn't party? Just look at 1883 bash held in Twin Cities

To celebrate completion of the northern transcontinental railway, the Twin Cities threw a massive daylong bash.

MSP's new ramp and transit hub is an intermodal model

Parking ramp/transit center blends form, function and nature.

Why the old-style Lake Harriet Band Shell remains a perennial favorite

Despite its traditional design, the Minneapolis band shell is just a few decades old.

Why the Twin Cities should save some ugly buildings from the wrecking ball

Beautiful buildings tend to be the ones that are preserved. Here's why we should save some ugly structures.

A 240-foot tower once rose in Minneapolis – advertising Coca-Cola

A 240-foot tower had the prominence that the Grain Belt Beer sign has today.

This long-lost St. Paul mansion had a link to 'Knives Out'

A shovel fortune helped build a mansion that once stood in the shadow of the Minnesota State Capitol.

Minneapolis' newest park is like a front porch on the Mississippi River

Design of Water Works Park and Pavilion achieves simplicity without being simplistic.

Massive Harmonia Hall in Minneapolis went from a jewel to a rooming house

The downtown hall, which opened in December 1884, exemplified the busy, colorful Victorian Gothic commercial style.