North Loop Neighborhood

[grant1simons2]

Trash bags, a courier bag maker in north loop, will be moving next door to Modist brewing in January.

https://instagram.com/p/8EHGILithm/

[grant1simons2]

Beacon Housing project for men rendering. Got approval of site clean up funding from Community Development today

http://www.beaconinterfaith.org/sites/d ... dering.jpg

[Nathan]

I love howa lot of the community development projects have better realized more simple architecture than market rate.

And I love the location!

[BoredAgain]

Beacon Housing project for men rendering. Got approval of site clean up funding from Community Development today

http://www.beaconinterfaith.org/sites/d ... dering.jpg

I know that the happy people inserted into rendered images are usually more ethnically diverse than the average Minneapolis street, but I feel like they crossed a threshold with that one.

There are nine people visible. Seven of them are African American men. The other two are women that if someone asked me, I would say are most likely mixed race heritage.

I realize that this comment probably makes me sound a little racist, but I felt compelled to comment. A housing project for men that is church supported that only shows racial minorities in the rendered images is troubling to me. It re-enforces troubling and inaccurate stereotypes.

[PhilmerPhil]

Is that.... Beyonce and Jay Z???

[ztr421]

Is that.... Beyonce and Jay Z???

Ha! It is. Same outfits. Noice.

[EOst]

Talk about a transformative development.

[Archiapolis]

Beacon Housing project for men rendering. Got approval of site clean up funding from Community Development today

http://www.beaconinterfaith.org/sites/d ... dering.jpg

I know that the happy people inserted into rendered images are usually more ethnically diverse than the average Minneapolis street, but I feel like they crossed a threshold with that one.

There are nine people visible. Seven of them are African American men. The other two are women that if someone asked me, I would say are most likely mixed race heritage.

I realize that this comment probably makes me sound a little racist, but I felt compelled to comment. A housing project for men that is church supported that only shows racial minorities in the rendered images is troubling to me. It re-enforces troubling and inaccurate stereotypes.

See below for evidence of the ridiculous nature of renderings. Somebody at the design firm said, "This project is geared towards [people of certain racial/ethnic makeup] go out and find some images of those kinds of people and put them in this image!" I wouldn't say that it is necessarily "racist" or meant to be nefarious. Also, these images don't get released without somebody in the organization/client side approving them. They obviously didn't take offense...The fact that Jay Z and Beyonce appeared in a rendering show how clueless architects are to pop culture - my firm has a rendering from a project a while back that used Ryan Reynolds...they had no idea who he was. To them, he was "guy in a coat with the lapels turned up."

[nate]

When I do renderings, I use silhouetted people for that exact reason.

People in renderings are useful to show scale, and should not be put in to "prove" that a space will be vibrant, to suggest a certain type of user, or to hide ugly parts of the building. Putting real people in there opens a can of worms.

[acs]

Sexworld update:

http://www.startribune.com/plans-rolled ... 335329621/

Renovation planned for both 125 and 121 Washington Av. N. by Falcon Ridge partners pending final sale. Plans are to open up the ground floor doors and windows again and land destination restaurant and retailer on ground floor with office above. Sex world will downsize from 11k to 6k square feet, move to the annex (wherever that is) and keep its main entrance on 2nd ave N.

[grant1simons2]

Beat me too it. This is some really good news for us who don't really value sex world. In other words, the majority.

[Silophant]

"A possible pocket park on Washington"

I'm curious how that would happen, given that the historic buildings have zero setback from Washington or 2nd.

[grant1simons2]

Based on the rendering on twitter, its a parklet, not a pocket park.

[Wedgeguy]

Sexworld update:

http://www.startribune.com/plans-rolled ... 335329621/

Renovation planned for both 125 and 121 Washington Av. N. by Falcon Ridge partners pending final sale. Plans are to open up the ground floor doors and windows again and land destination restaurant and retailer on ground floor with office above. Sex world will downsize from 11k to 6k square feet, move to the annex (wherever that is) and keep its main entrance on 2nd ave N.

The annex I think that they are talking about is like a 4 story warehouse area behind the building. Not sure if they are now one building or two separate ones. If you walk down 2nd you will find a a Sex World sign that is closer to the alley. That is where Sex World would be. Kind of hid back from Washington

[seanrichardryan]

The rendering looks odd. The windows are all wrong, not to mention they won't pass the HPC.

[grant1simons2]

The 1st level is pretty screwed up currently. Do you have any pictures of what this building used to look like before Sex World Sean?

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.9835655 ... 312!8i6656

[Wedgeguy]

The rendering looks odd. The windows are all wrong, not to mention they won't pass the HPC.

The upper windows along 2nd are not going to pass the HPC. Not sure what is hidden behind that brown boards on the street level of 2nd for matching it's original look. Think there will be similar issues with the upper windows facing Washington as well. Window wise this will not be a cheap renovation that is for sure! Lots of custom order windows. Getting that paint off the building's stones will do wonders for the building's appearance alone.

[seanrichardryan]

Admittedly, this is probably just a marketing fluff piece. The original fenestration for the left building would be large plate glass windows between each cast iron column with transom above. For sexworld, either single plate or equal 2 over two panes between the narrow columns (which surprisingly survive on the first floor). The third floor windows would mimic the second floor, with *equal 2 over 2. The windows on the 2nd ave side are more open to interpretation since that facade has been rebuilt.

Here in 1925, when the building was 48.

And almost new in 1883
(note the triangular parapet might be a decoration for the NPRR celebration, just like the greenery arch on the street, but it's difficult to tell in the stereoscopic view)


And sinners:

Before the current entrance, twas a window-

[seanrichardryan]

Since my imgur link went dead, 1883

[Nathan]

Beat me too it. This is some really good news for us who don't really value sex world. In other words, the majority.

Uh. I highly doubt that. Just because it's an adult business doesn't mean it isn't valued or seen as a landmark.