grain belt bottling house renovation is now underway; re...

Grain Belt Bottling House renovation is now underway; re-use (ll/he main brewhouse buildilli{remains to be determined.

THE GRAIN BELT BREWERYAN UPDATE

In December 1993 a ten year lease at below market rent was negotiated for the bottling house of the Grain BeltBrewery to North Beach Twin Cities. North Beach Twin Cities is a partnership of three investors, two of themlocal. The structure will be used for indoor volleyball and will eventually house a health club, a bar, and a restaurant. The renovation, which will include restoration of the windows, has begun and will be subject toMinneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission review under the lease agreement. Previously, the bottling househad been rented out as storage space.

Continued on page 11, column 1

PRESERVATION MATTERS

PRESIDENT'S COLUMNby Rolf T. Anderson

In some ways I truly dislike writing about the FederalReserve Bank and their plans to build in the Minneapolis Warehouse Historic District. And yet I believea well-documented record of these complicated eventsis both important and necessary.

Our newsletter is a natural vehicle for such a record

and I've tried to provide updates in my column asneeded. Numerous feature articles have appeared aswell. Between our articles and the growing pile ofdocuments accumulating on the floor of my study, Ihope a detailed account will be readily available toanyone needing to trace the history of these proceedings.

The latest events seem to be the most bizarre to date

and involve the legal action initiated against the Federal Reserve and the City of Minneapolis by the EarthProtector environmental group. The trial began onDecember 16 and concluded the week after Christmas.

The tone was set by Judge William Howard whoopened the proceedings by commenting that he believed the Minnesota Environmental Rights Acts onlyprotected individually eligible properties and nothistoric districts. He also commented that the Minne

sota Historical Society agreed to the demolition of thefive buildings in question by signing the Section 106Memorandum of Agreement. His interpretation ofMERA seems remarkably narrow and MHS has clearlyprotested the loss of the five buildings, but afterhearing his comments I wondered if testimony wouldeven help.

Susan Roth, Minnesota's National Register Historian,and I spent nearly three exhausting days on the standin support of preservation. Susan's role involved adetailed description of the National Register programand how the nomination process occurs. Her testimony was outstanding. I discussed the NationalRegister nomination for the Warehouse District sinceI had prepared the document. This sounded simpleenough, until the cross-examination began. Then Ibegan to realize that this trial was not to involve asubstantive exchange, rather it became an attempt todiscredit, entrap, and to legally outmaneuver the opponent. In fact the trial began to seem like a proceduralcharade.

2

The Federal Reserve was represented by an attorneyfrom the firm of Maslon, Borman, Edelman, and Brandand a city attorney was present as well. These posturing individuals tried to attack my credentials andthe validity of the National Register nomination. Thedetection of a meaningless discrepancy was dramatically announced and the questioning often borderedon the absurd.

I was asked to identify buildings in historic photographs of Minneapolis which had been destroyednearly 100 years ago, discuss how many generationsof buildings had been constructed on the BridgeheadSite, and answer questions about the number ofbridges that had been built across the Mississippi. Ihad to compare quotations in the nomination with theoriginal source document. Their point seemed to bethat unless I was conversant in all aspects of the history of the city that the buildings in question had tobe non-historic. I felt like I was on trial, for somecapital offense.

One point which came up time and time again wasthat the Bridgehead Site went through an economicdecline and became a skid row, as if this were an indictment of its historical significance. I commentedthat the five buildings alone represented new construction that occurred from 1894 to 1921, whichhardly suggests economic demise. In addition, if thearea declined, that's part of its history too, and wedon't just nominate buildings that are politically correct. No stone seemed to be left unturned in the

attempt to discredit the district.

Larry Colman, the attorney for Earth Protector, retained his composure during the proceedings andcalmly endured a continual barrage of objections.However, the playing field was hopelessly lopsidedand he struggled with the strength and experience ofthe opposition. The issues seemed to have to do morewith power and resources than anything else.

I think most people would be quite startled to face anexperience like this in court. Beyond the preservationissue, it was also a sad comment on our legal systemand how this type of litigation seems to have very littleto do with the merits of the law. We'll have an answerin about a month when the judge makes his decision.

Throughout it all I kept thinking that even to the untrained eye, the buildings on the Bridgehead Site areclearly rare survivors of late 19th and early 20th century Minneapolis. It's hard to believe how we continueto disregard our past.

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota

JANUARY 1994

SHARKS ON THE MISSISSIPPIENVIRONMENTALISTS AND PRESERVATIONISTS

MEET THE FEDERAL RESERVE IN COURT

The current lawsuit in Hennepin District Courtbrought by Earth Protector against the Federal Reserveto prevent the nation's money manager from demolishing several historic buildings to build a new NinthDistrict bank headquarters has several contrastingaspects of people and organizations whose testimonychallenging each other's credibility has drawn sharpfocus to the trial proceedings.

Earth Protector is a righteous David in combat againstthe Goliath of the Federal Reserve's seeming omnipotence. The meagerly -financed but feistyenvironmental group has unflinchingly encounteredthe ample array of hard-hitting hired expertise the Fedhas marshaled for this case.

Then there is Rolf Anderson, principal historic researcher for the Minneapolis Warehouse District, andSusan Roth, Research Historian for the MinnesotaHistorical Society, both testifying to support the merits of the endangered buildings' historic status in amanner consistent with their previous professionalexperience relating to this issue. Their position ofconsistency contrasts with the testimony of threeconsultants to the Federal Reserve: Judith Martin of theCenter for Urban and Regional Affairs; Norene Roberts of Historic Research, Inc.; and urban planningconsultant Tom Martinson, all three whose positionson these buildings' historic basis have drasticallychanged from their previous publicly stated statements prior to their employment by the Fed.

P.O. Box 582804 Minneapolis, MN 55458-2804

Earth Protector is a locally-based environmental organization advocating for public interest rights in airand water pollution issues and other ecological issues.Earth Protector's chief legal arguments are based onthe Minnesota Environmental Rights Act (MERA)which basically states that natural and historic resources may be protected from pollution, impairmentor destruction.

The trial concluded its public testimony phase December 29 of last year, and is currently being followedby a time period during which legal briefs from bothsides seeking to attach facts to applicable law will bepresented to trial Judge William Howard. A decisionby Howard is expected by the first week in February.

The attorneys representing the Federal Reserve,Maslon, Edelman, Borman and Brand, centered theircourtroom tactics on attacking the professional expertise of Rolf Anderson, who prepared historicresearch for revision to the Minneapolis WarehouseDistrict (Anderson is also President of the PreservationAlliance of Minnesota), and by attempting to provefaulty nomination procedures by the State HistoricPreservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Soci

ety (MHS). MHS reviews and processes potentialNational Register nominations for submission to theNational Park Service who confers historic designation. Fed attorneys tried to discredit Anderson byasking irrelevant questions not germane to the issueat hand. Anderson, said Earth Protector President

3


Leslie Davis, held his own. Earth Protector AttorneyLawrence Coleman also praised Anderson's testimonyand said he cogently tied together two of the mainprima facie points of impairment and destruction inEarth Protector's suit; Anderson cautioned that destruction of these historic buildings would be a seriousimpairment on the historic district. Davis andColeman also commented that Roth competently defended MHS's process. "This nomination didn't justhappen," she told Fed attorneys.

Coleman noted what was apparent to him was theweakness of the Fed's position which essentially attempted to "de-list" the properties from the NationalRegister through these trial proceedings despite thefact that the proper method to seek de-listing lies insubmitting the matter through procedures well codified in preservation law and historic agencyadministrative processes. He added, however, what isapparent to him may not have been impressed JudgeHoward.

Also apparent to Coleman was the notion that thequestions of accuracy of preservation knowledgeshould be more properly directed to the Federal Reserve consultants. Norene Roberts testified the

buildings are "just old" and are "nothing special."Coleman said Roberts stated the Berman Buildingshould not be considered part of the Warehouse District as the structure is more connected to downtown

and the former Bridge Square. Coleman said "Robertsdid not realize what the law states." A building can bein more than one area of significance, he stated, andthat the significance of an area can remain tied to thatbuilding even though that area's other resources mayno longer be present."

Davis and Coleman commented on Judith Martin'sformer role as a member of a 1982 historic research

team that studied potential Minneapolis historic resources and also assessed the status of existing historicdesignated properties and districts. That report statedthat there are two areas in Minneapolis that best impart a sense of time and place, one of them being thearea along First Street North from Hennepin Avenueto Third Avenue North which includes the Berman

Building and the other buildings in question. Whenthis fact was presented to Martin, she answered thereason at this time for determining this relevancy wasthe Union Depot. It was subsequently noted the UnionDepot was demolished four years before the 1982study.

The trial also brought out some non-relevant remarksfrom Tom Martinson who called the Saint AnthonyFalls Historic District a "fantasy district," and also said

4

the only criteria for the National Register was that abuilding must be 50 years old. Testimony such as thisbrought "hired guns" references from trial observers.

Davis said that a major point in Earth Protector's caseis that the MERA states that historic resources shall be

protected when prudent alternatives to removal of theresource exist. In this case, he noted, the MilwaukeeRailroad site offers the Fed several assets: close todowntown business core, sufficient land area, and aprominent location near the riverbank. The Fed hasused as the reason not to choose this site to be the un

derground pollution from former railroad usage. But,according to Davis, the Federal Reserve has long projected itself as a contributor to the betterment of thearea it serves. One of the most noble enhancements toits presence, he says, could be to do the right environmental thing and fix the underground pollution forone of Minneapolis' most critical sites as part if its sitedevelopment for a new facility. But, Davis notes, thisisn't even necessary because the city would indemnifythe Fed from future legal problems if future pollutionconditions persisted. But they want to be right on theriver, he said, not near it.

The Fed does have another site as an alternative to the

bridgehead site despite their contention this is the onlysite that works for their needs. Davis said the Fed has"put money down" on land in Eagan, near West Publishing Company.

The Eagan site brings forth another aspect of the siteissue. Ron Kaatz, Director of the Ninth District Federal Reserve Bank, repeatedly has said the futurerequirements of the new bank necessitates all of theiroperations to be wrapped under one roof. However,many large bank systems throughout the country have


JANUARY 1994

recently been processing information and financialinstruments in remote operation centers well distantfrom their downtown headquarters and offices. TheFederal Reserve itself has used this concept for theirNew York facility, placing its main offices in Manhattan and locating its operation centers across the riverin New Jersey. Here in Minneapolis, the Ninth Districtcould build a suitable structure on a vacant site such

as the Ritz Block, or rehab their present building, andbuild a remote operations center on the land on whichthey own an option in Eagan.

The outcome of the trial can only be guessed at fornow. Attorney Mark Anfinson, who has much experience in preservation law, says although MERA is asubstantial law, environmental court cases are alwaysan uphill battle. In this case, he notes, the subtleties ofthe nature of historic districts make it more complexfor courtroom understanding of what is relevant inthese issues. "When compared with the relatively elemental aspects of buildings and individual sites,"Anfinson said, "district issues are easier for adversaries to chisel at and pick apart in piecemeal fashion."

Leslie Davis is both upbeat about the potency of theissues developed during the trial and is also circumspect about the mindset of the judge. From day one,Davis noted, the trial objections sustained and overruled went much in favor of the Fed.

A serious problem may arise before the trial judge'sdecision is announced. The Fed holds active demoli

tion permits for some of the buildings that may be putinto action when the 90 day period for tenants to vacate expires on January 17. Demolition may begin afterthat time, although there is the opportunity for a restraining order to block razing of the structures.However, a judge may order a bond to be posted aspart of the restraining order, which would make itextremely difficult for public interest groups to post.

Anderson places faith in the Warehouse District'sadherence to the definition of National Register historic districts: "a significant collection of buildings,structures, sites and resources linked historically andaesthetically by plan or development, and whosecomponents share significance though they in themselves may lack individual distinction."

Attorney Coleman cautions the difficulty here is toconvince the court that buildings can become historicfrom their association with significant events eventhough they may be physically ordinary.

For these warehouses, he says, they represent thechange America had undergone after the Civil Warwhen the nation experienced its greatest physical ex-


pansion, a growth these buildings served until thatdevelopment was halted by the Great Depression.

But Coleman's comments on Tom Martinson weremuch less prosaic. "He seemed to think that the lawis not as important as his opinion," Coleman remarked, "When asked in court of his understandingof the National Historic Preservation Act, he exhibiteda mis-understanding of what the law is about, but hedid say he had lunch with some of the people whoframed it." RR

PRESERVATION QUOTES

"We have everywhere an absence of memory.Architects sometimes talk about buildings withcontext and continuity in mind, religious leaders call it tradition, social workers say it is asense of community, but it is memory we havebanished from our cities. In every buildingleveled and every neighborhood cleared, wesay' " We just don't want to hear about it anymore" We have made our bargain. We havespeed and power, but no place. Travel, but nodestination. Convenience, but no ease."

In the Memory HouseHoward Mansfield

Fulcrum Publishing

"The most pernicious thing about the landscapeof absences that we have made, Mansfield argues in a powerful epilogue, is that we arelured by our anger and our sorrow into one oftwo intellectual traps: either into elegy whichromanticizes, therefore falsifies the past; or intojeremiad, which sees in the past an ideal that wemust strive, in vain to recover."

Paul GruchowReview of Mansfield's book

In the Memory House,in the Hungry Mind Review,

Winter, 1993

" ...there is a certain kind of public, communal,urban life that once took place in the streets andsquares of great cities and small towns and villages but now only exists in privateplaces-places like Disneyland.

Paul GoldbergerArchitectural review

of the late architect Charles Moore

New York Times, January 2.1994

5

"II"" -- -_.~- - - ------


CHARLENE ROISE:

GRIT INTO HISTORY

This January issue of Preservation Matters is the lastissue which carries the name Charlene Raise as Co

editor of this newsletter. Roise has resigned her boardposition on the Preservation Alliance and her role inthis newsletter, seeking to adc'~ess the demands of herprofessional work.

She is a partner in the historical research firm HessRoise and Companies and also manages her father'sagricultural specialty feed business.

Roise founded Preseroation Matters in 1985, servingas co-editor and writer. One of her most valuable

contributions has been her comprehensive and up-todate knowledge of the relevant issues in preservationwhich come from her professional work and herdedication to the movement. But more than the tasks

of formulating and scheduling news and informationas well as managing the on-going structure of thepublication, Charlene has been the heart and soul ofthis newsletter. Her verve and optimistic demeanorgave to us working on this newsletter the sense thatthe best in all of us is the best message to give, an attitude that has inspired the message of PreservationMatters.

Roise has served well the Preservation Alliance of

Minnesota, taking on the position of President in themid 1980s when the organization was seeking to define itself and its role in Minnesota preservation.

Charlene's contribution to Minnesota preservation hasbeen more than her leadership and her fine writing.Her February 1991 story on the vacant and deteriorating Thorsten Veblen Farmstead changed thebuilding's fate when a Preservation Matters readersaw her article and proceeded to buy the house, whichis now well on its way to renovation

She began her service to historic preservation in junior high school as a volunteer tour guide at FortSnelling. After earning a Masters Degree in Preservation at Boston University, Roise worked for the BostonLandmarks Commission, and the Rhode Island Historical Society.

As a woman who has been known for mixingassertiveness with an enthusiastic grace, as well asbeing in the position of being her own boss, Roisenever has had to face the limitations in her work-world

of the" glass ceiling"; true to her nature, she createdher own ceiling-a sandpaper ceiling. After doinghistoric research in Two Harbors, Minnesota for 3M'sfirst building, 3M asked her to create a museum for thesmall two-story structure to tell the story of its history,

6

Prc:sC:lrV iIl1bi@lIT111sts

Who make a Difference

Above: Charlene Raise

focusing on the invention and production development of sandpaper, which made the companyworld-famous. Above the artful graphic narrative andproduct displays, she designed a ceiling that is a mosaic of sandpaper sheets. And in the process shemanaged to get one of her celebrated puns in an articleabout the museum in the Wall Street Journal, sayingthat sandpaper has "touched the lives of everyone."Of course, she's right.

Although the Preservation Alliance will be without herexpertise, Roise will remain very active and her usualinfluential self in various activities beyond her pro-

Continued on page 8, column 2


JANUARY 1994

In the July/August 1992 issue of Wooden Boat, amagazine for enthusiasts dedicated to that which the title

implies, Editor Jon Wilson comments that a society thathas found its fabric to befrayed and torn can make onewonder about broad commitments to excellence and in

tegrity, especially in light of frequent media reports ofan individual rush to success that happens in a way that

ignores the overall betterment of society. However, henotes, in the maritime community, the "traditions of

wooden ships and iron men have evolved to inspire men

and women of deep integrity and iron will ... who share

a quality not easily found in all quarters - a quality thatsprings from a passion for their work and is worthy of

study and emulation. It is this passion that inspires investment, invention and integrity in any field ofendeavor."

What Wilson says of boats and those who tend them

applies equally to an uncounted number of people inpreservation whose avocation, care and love of buildingsand places of history fosters commitment by others forthe benefit of many.

PRESERVATION MATTERS has written some quite

rhapsodic tributes to buildings that represent our his

tory, but now it is time to tell you about the people whomake preservation work, who may have saved a build

ing, people who as preservationists have made adifference.


ARCHITECT KIM BRETHEIM:

A FAX INTERVIEW

Theatre de la Jeune Lune transformed a former coldstorage building with a quirky floor plan and a CassGilbert-designed facade into a courtyard-type spaceenveloped by the warehouse's time-tarnished masonry walls. The design and construction processdemolished many of the interior walls but left existing walls as is, many with layers of painted plaster,tile, unfinished brick as well as uncovered holes andformer bearing beam pockets. In this space, the actorscan perform in the most direct manner with its audience in any number of ways, much in line with thecommedia dell' arte of traditional Italian vernaculartheater.

Theatre de la Jeune Lune won a 1993 MinnesotaChapter American Institute of Architects DesignAward. Since its opening less than a year ago, thetheater has become one of Minneapolis' most uniquetheaters, certainly a counterpart in preservation termswith the more standard restoration of the State The

ater and the Orpheum Theater.

Kim Bretheim of Paul Madson Architects was the

project architect of the theater, and granted this faxinterview with PRESERVAnON MATIERS.

Kim Bretheim was born in Grafton, North Dakota,received a bachelor of Arts Degree from Saint OlafCollege in Northfield and a Masters in Architecturefrom the University of Minnesota. The 37 year oldarchitect has worked for the firm Paul Madson Ar

chitects for 21/2 years, before that with Arvid ElnessArchitects. Kim and his wife live in Minneapolis. Hisprevious preservation-related architectural work includes Butler Square West, Colonial Warehouse, theAdams and Roselle Apartments in Elliot Park.

PM: Theatre de la feune Lune: one or two sentence

description of building:

KB: Conversion of cold storage warehouse intoperformance spaces and related support. ..facilities.

PM: How did the design process differ with this building from other building renovation?

KB: The client and architects worked very closelyin defining the possibilities the existingstructure had for creating an environment fortheir vision of what that theater is and mightbe.

Left: Kim Bretheim

7

. -------


CAROL JOHNSON

The Minneapolis Councilmember'sEight Years Benefited Preservation

This January 3 Carol Johnson passed her Minneapolis Thirteenth Ward Council seat to Steve Minn, her

successful IR challenger in last November's city elections. For Minneapolis preservation, Johnson was athoughtful and a consistent supporter, and the DFLCouncilmember's legislative contribution to the heritage of the city will be missed.

During Johnson's eight years representing her southwest Minneapolis Ward, issue after issue involving theMinneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission andthe City Council found her support for preservationas an expression of the public interest, often as acounterbalance to her colleagues' go-get 'em chase forhigh profile development at the expense of everythingelse.

Her support of preservation voiced the contention thatplaces of history contribute a livability to Minneapolis, just as does the natural environment which wasalso an allied interest of hers.

Johnson's pro-preservation stand was most crucialduring the State Theater controversy when she supported HPC's campaign to save the building fromdemolition. A 1985 council vote to deny historic designation for the State on an 8 to 5 roll call, Johnsonbeing one of the pro-designate five, took on criticalimportance when Mayor Fraser later decided to vefoa subsequent council action that would have removedthe historic structure. Johnson and four of her councilcolleagues were just enough votes to sustain themayor's veto, a pivotal point in the eventual rescue ofthe State, and an item of now-long ago events sweptaway in the hullabaloo of the theater's splashy success.

One of Johnson's more dramatic stands in support ofthe Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commissioncame during a 1993 Zoning and Planning Committeemeeting when the Councilmember was working in heroffice, listening to the proceedings via closed circuitradio, when she heard Councilmember Tony Scallonexcoriating HPC over a past dispute not of relevanceto the issue on the committee floor. Johnson camestriding into the chamber, gently but firmly interrupted Scallon, refuted his assertions on the past issue,and contradicted his allegations on the issue at hand.HPC, she told the councilmembers, deserved far more

respect and support than the Commission was gettingfrom the Council at that time.

Carol Johnson came to the City Council in 1986 aftermany years of active work in DFL campaigns, having

8

served as executive director of the Minneapolis Epilepsy Foundation, a leading member of the LakeHarriet New Band Shell Citizens' Advisory Committee, and other community causes. On the City Councilshe served on the Ways and Means Committee andchaired Health, Environment, and Human Services

Committee. Her council colleagues and city hallstaffers often called her the "environmental con

science" of the Minneapolis City Council, a descriptionof which she was proud.

Thirteenth Ward office staff say Johnson has no immediate or definite plans, other than to "travel a lot,then come home." Her commitment to serving otherswill continue, with children and the environment as

likely activities.

Minneapolis preservation is the better for CarolJohnson's activism; she made a difference. RR

Roise continued from page 6

fessional research. She will remain an important partof the State's preservation network, and will continueto serve as of one of two Minnesota advisors to theNational Trust for Historic Preservation.

In Minnesota preservation, Roise has made a differ

ence. The movement is stronger, more able to act onissues because of her contribution. As for this newsletter, we all wish her the best for the future. We will

miss her writing, her leadership; and we will miss herheart and soul. RR

Bretheim continued from page 7

PM: How would you describe the final result?

KB: Responsive, adaptable."

PM: Why did you choose this design approach? Werethere other alternatives?

KB: It seemed to develop naturally as an outgrowth of the clients needs and approach totheater.

PM: How (or) was the existing building both a problem and an opportunity?

KB: The problems define the opportunities. Theidiosyncrasies are the detail. We tried to find

the idiosyncrasies of the building's physicalhistory and use them to our advantage.


JANUARY 1994

PM: This building has been described as being designed

by a "reductivist" process, by cutting ... awayincrements of the existing building substance toallow its raw self of what's left over to be the

building's newly transformed architecture. Theadditive measures were done primarily for build

ing code, basic functional requirements andhuman comfort. If so, how would you re-phrasethis above comment?

KB: I think the irony is that 'modem' architecturewas also described as 'reductivist'. Hopefully ... this theater's 'reduction' leads to asense of place and history, where 'modernism' often leads away from these ideals.

PM: Also, would you describe the process/solution asa kind of urban archeological type of architecture?

KB: Maintaining the city street ( First Avenue andFirst Street) as well as playing a role in the lifein the warehouse district is important. Alsothe theater's rough and untreated walls become a resource in themselves.

PM: Any other general comments on the theater?

KB: The building has really evolved physically inthe past 100 years, and hopefully it will continue to change.

PM: Who else deserves credit for the excellent results?

KB: Paul Madson, Peter Kelly, George Cook III ofCook Construction.

PM: Are you working on any other preservation-relatedprojects?

KB: Androy Hotel in Hibbing, which will be arestoration and conversion of a former hotelinto senior citizens' housing.

PM: What do you as an architect see about preservation as a worthwhile aspect of our culture and thebuilt environment, and/or what do you see as the

principal value of preservation?

KB: Sense of history for me is made most real byidentity, events and people with existing images that can come from art and architecture.

PM: What are your other interests that take some of

your spare time?

KB: Music. I play cello in the Metropolitan Symphony.

PM: And finally, what is your favorite Minnesotabuilding, old or new?


KB: Well, its hard to think of just one; at least notright now.

PM: Then, is there a particular building you have no

ticed recently that has cause some kind of reactionin you?

KB: Sort of an oddball is the old Mines MineralResource Center on the East bank campusjust off East River Road. It's vacant, and haslarge interior spaces with a clerestory thatused to hold large machines. How it existsnow reminds me of what we did to the de la

Jeune Lune. The large windows facing theriver have great views of downtown Minneapolis. I think this building is where the newSchool of Architecture should be. I hope thisbuilding can find are-use.

RR

Mineral Resource Center. University of Minnesota

HOW YOU CAN MAKE THEPRESERVATION ALLIANCE

GROW!

If each member would recruit one other

person to join the Alliance we could doubleour membership!

Use the membership form in this newsletterand invite a friend or colleague to joinTODAY. We are making a difference andyou can help. Three hundred of us canbecome six hundred. Act now!

Thank you for your efforts.

9


COMMUNITY BRINGS OLD BARN BACK TO LIFE

The squared-log section was raised so that rotten building sills could be removed and new sills put in place.Photographer: Stuart MacDonald.

SISU Heritage has worked energetically in recent yearsto preserve the Finnish heritage in the northern Minnesota community of Embarrass. The area's logbuildings are a particularly unique expression of thatheritage. As a result, the group was delighted to receive the donation of the Hanka Farmstead, a NationalRegister property, from an elderly couple who wereretiring and moving from the land. Included with thefarmstead was a double log barn, consisting of tworectangular sections separated by an open breezeway.One section was built of squared logs; the other ofpeeled round logs. Unfortunately, this excellent example of Finnish barn design was deterioratingrapidly.

Mike Matts, from the Midwest Regional Office of theNational Trust for Historic Preservation, visited thesite in 1992 and suggested that SISU contact JoeGallagher, an expert on log building preservation.Gallagher, who works for the National Forest Servicein Boise, Idaho, visited the site that fall, and developeda budget and plan for restoring the structure.

10

SISU then faced the challenge of raising funds for theproject. A number of groups gave money and othercontributions to the cause, including the MinnesotaHistorical Society, the National Trust, the local schooldistrict, the National Forest Service, LTV Mining, andthe IRRRB.SISU also added income from sales of their

publication about the area's log buildings, Testamentsin Wood.

This past summer, Gallagher returned to guide therestoration work. The project was actually a case studyfor a workshop on log building restoration, with students gaining hands-on experience. A number ofvolunteers helped out as well. Participants came fromas far away as Marquette, Michigan. Members of thelocal community provided hearty picnic lunches "justlike the old-fashioned threshing bees," according toMargaret Kinnunen, Embarrass Town Clerk and anactive member of SISU Heritage. In ten days, the majority of the project was completed. Workers replacedabout three-quarters of the peeled round logs in onesection of the building, and the sill logs and several


JANUARY 1994

layers above the sills in the squared-log section. Theroof was sheathed with new cedar shingles. By the endof the year, after area residents finish installing doorsand windows, the restoration will be done~ Extra materials from the project might be used to repair anolder, smaller barn on the property.

As funds permit, SISU Heritage plans to fix up thehouse on the property for a live-in caretaker, and establish living history interpretation at the site. Fornow, the Hanka farmstead is featured in tours highlighting the area's culture that are offered three timesa day from May through September. Tourism helpssupport a local craft shop and a bed-and-breakfast inn.For more information about the community andon-going restoration work, contact MargaretKinnunen, 218-984-2672.

CKR

PRESERVATION QUOTE

"In the early 1900's French settlers in theCenterville Lake area were among the firstemployees of the Saint Paul water system.Many of the descendants of these early workersstill work for the Water Utility."

Getting Into WaterThe Story of Saint Paul's Water Supply

a 20 page handout published by the SaintPaul Water Utility

Grain Belt continued from page 1

The Grain Belt Brewery at 1215 Marshall Avenue, NEis a complex of seven buildings including the mainbrewhouse, an office, and several warehouses on 23acres of land. The Minneapolis Brewing and MaltCompany built the complex in the 1890s and producedGrain Belt Beer. Businessman Irwin Jacobs bought thebrewery in 1975but claimed shortly afterward that theoperation was not profitable. Jacobs sold the Grain Beltbrand to G. Heileman Brewing Company of LaCrosse,Wisconsin. He sold off the equipment and made plansto demolish the buildings in order to redevelop thesite. Jacobs's legal actions against the city of Minneapolis for refusing to issue a demolition permittriggered the city to buy him out. The city authorizedthe Minneapolis Community Development Authority(MCDA) to buy the site in 1989.

Over the years since the purchase, the MCDA has beenstabilizing the site and renting out space on short-termleases while actively seeking a long-term use for thecomplex. In 1992 the Minneapolis City Council approved a concept plan to attract the film and videoindustry to the complex. The MCDA is just completing a nearly $1,000,000 renovation and stabilization ofthe site - primarily on the massive brewhouse wherereplacement of windows and roof repairs have beenmade. The new use for the bottling house is a positivesign for the future of the complex. SCB

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota Membership ApplicationThe Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is a membership organization. Your contributions make our work possible. Andthey are tax deductible. Join today! Fill out the coupon and mail it with your contribution to:

Preservation Alliance of Minnesota P.O. Box 582804 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458-2804

Name----------------Address--------------City/State. Zip _

Membership CategoriesIndividual

Non-profit and Government OrganizationsBusiness/Professional

Preservation SupporterPreservation Benefactor

$20.00 0$35.00 0$50.00 0

$100.00 0$250.00 0

Phone: home.------ work- --- In addition to my membership, I am enclosing an additionalgift of $ __ to help the PA.

:::::::::.'~k~~

11


We have the answers to the Where is it? pictures forboth November and December in this issue.

The November picture was the present "Heart's Desire" store in Winona, a charming bit of historic fabricin that city's downtown.

In December, we presented the historic Lowry Public School in Pope County. That fine old brickstructure was a solid reminder of the importance ofeducation as the area's population grew in the late19th century. It was recently demolished by the federal government.

WHERE IS IT?

Minnesota propertieslisted on the National Register,

with photographs supplied by theMinnesota Historical Society

You don't have to be history-dominant to guessthis place; you can even be one of the meeker ty~-

WHERE IS IT?

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Preservation Matters is a monthly publication of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, a non-profit membership organization.Editors are Robert Roscoe and Charlene Roise; Writers are Rolf Anderson, Charlene Roise, Robert Roscoe, Patrick Nunnally, PhillipSmith, Susan O'Reilly, Scott Brown and lody Keppers; Layout and artwork by lody Keppers; Distribution by Tom Holman.

Preservation Alliance of MinnesotaPost Office Box 582804

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458-2804

12

NON PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Minneapolis, MNPermit No. 672


We have the answers to the Where is it? pictures forboth November and December in this issue.

WHERE IS IT?

The November picture was the present "Heart's Desire" store in Winona, a charming bit of historic fabricin that city's downtown.

In December, we presented the historic Lowry Public School in Pope County. That fine old brickstructure was a solid reminder of the importance ofeducation as the area's population grew in the late19th century. It was recently demolished by the federal government.

Minnesota propertieslisted on the National Register,

with photographs supplied by theMinnesota Historical Society

You don't have to be history-dominant to guessthis place; you can even be one of the meeker ty~

WHERE IS IT?

"

II,

Preservation Matters is a monthly publication of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, a non-profit membership organization.Editors are Robert Roscoe and Charlene Roise; Writers are Rolf Anderson, Charlene Roise, Robert Roscoe, Patrick Nunnally, PhillipSmith, Susan O'Reilly, Scott Brown and lody Keppers; Layout and artwork by lody Keppers; Distribution by Tom Holman.

Preservation Alliance of MinnesotaPost Office Box 582804

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55458-2804

12

NON PROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Minneapolis, MNPermit No. 672

grain belt bottling house renovation is now underway; re...

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