Cities 07

As a history major I feel a duty to discuss the preservation of local culture in the Twin Cities. I also understand that the culture in this geographic area has changed and will continue to change. These changes in culture were shaped largely through changes in land usage patterns. Looking far enough back in the history of the city there emerges a progression from Native American tribes to European settlement to the last century or so of industrial expansion and gentrification. All these aspects of local cultural history can serve to help guide future land use goals and shape our view of the collective past.

One of the best ways to preserve cultural history is to dedicate land and structures for preservation. Unfortunately, Spirit Island is no longer a part of the St. Anthony Falls complex. Because this island was great landmark during the time of tribal habitation, the construction of a new Spirit Island just below the falls can bring back part of this history. I propose the rebuilding of Spirit Island with only limestone in a natural method, giving the new island to a joint council formed by the Ojibwe, Chippewa and Anishinaabe and restricting access to people allowed by the council. This project will create an exclusive place for Native Americans to rejoin their cultural heritage, damaged as it may be by Europeans and create more cultural diversity in the downtown Minneapolis area.

Another aspect of cultural history was that of industrialization. Again, the St. Anthony Falls area, with all the old flour mills, serves as a perfect example for land usage and the preservation of cultural heritage. The Mill City Museum was completed in 2003, but that project incorporated only a burned shell of one of many mills along that stretch of the river. There are some mills slated for condo redevelopment or demolition now, while others sit and deteriorate from lack of attention. By passing a city ordinance mandating that large structures in the city that contributed significantly to its cultural heritage must be respected, we can ensure that part of the city’s past does not fall victim to commercialization or neglect. This does not need to be burdensome: if a developer wishes to convert an old mill to condos the ordinance can stipulate that the developer must not drastically alter the exterior and leave some portion of the interior intact and viewable to the public. A balance can be struck between commercial interest, to which the city owes a lot of its history, as well as those wishing to preserve that history.

Part of the current evolving history of the central Minneapolis city is centered on art communities. The old Guthrie Theater was torn down less than half a year after the new Guthrie was completed. This retreat to the slash and burn “Urban Renewal” of the 1950s and 1960s that destroyed the Gateway District in downtown needs to be stopped. Pictures can only do so much justice to an era: if a picture is worth 1000 words, how many words is a whole building worth?

Dave Hauser