Library Park
The Walker Library on the corner of Hennepin and Lagoon, across from the Uptown theater is oddly underground. I haven't figured out if it's a fallout shelter or just nuclear-war chic. It reminds me of the UW Parkside campus in Kenosha, designed in the 70s with student riot control in mind. It's an unusual look which draws the eye, but a kin to casting an imaginative glance toward the big crash barriers around overpasses on the highway. Impressive design, but disturbing to imagine it doing it's intended job.
The Walker's big shinny "Library" letters hearken it's namesake, The Walker Art Center in their brutal post-industrial socialist overstatement of the obvious.
Keeping in line with the whole socialist dreamscape, it has at least one bum sleeping on a bench at all times.
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Great shot, such a fun subject! I love libraries and I like big concrete letters. California Adventure (by Disneyland) has CAL… spelled out & I took photos of my son by each letter of his name.
I have not seen this in person, of course, but I kinda like this structure – although I really enjoy a good rant. Maybe it was built underground for energy conservation purposes – radiate much less heat in the Minnesota winter. Based only on the photo, I think the metal letters are cool. If you can’t see a building there, the big metal word makes you scratch your head. What library? Where?
Strange -
The rant felt good. It was very cathartic. Fact is, I like ol’ 1920s built-by-a-drunk architecture. Those 1970s post-industrial things bug me. I just got the magazine in the mail from UW Madison, my alma matter — it says that they are demolishing the humanities building. Another 1970s crowd control building where I took all my art classes. Maybe that will make me feel better.
- Mitch
The Library lettering is interesting, but do we need tall advertising like that? I’m not a big fan of this style of “architecture” either. Lets leave stainless steel for cutlery and Delorians, rather than our city buildings. But as always, you have made such a visual appealing photo here.