The renovated City Council chamber is indeed wonderful. It's a must-see for all Minneapolitans, and I'm pleased the project was undertaken.
But as I looked around that grand room tonight, I couldn't help but be struck with a bit of irony or melancholy or bittersweetness or all of the above. As the city's press release notes, we've had to REcreate, REstore, REplace, REmanufacture items to REsemble many things that had to be REproduced -- usually not simply because age took its toll but because Minneapolis seems to have this infuriatingly bad habit of ditching the original and demolishing that which we now want back...and will pay millions to get back. Take a good look at those photos that Conor e-mailed. Take a good look at the photos posted around city hall's lobby today. Take a good look at the photos on display at the American Swedish Institute of all the beautiful neighboring houses that are now long gone. And if I can put in a pitch for my own part of town, take a good look at the city's last railroad roundhouse, one of the few anywhere in this entire region and a remarkably beautiful century-plus-old building that is precariously fighting the fate of the many buildings that used to stand near it (that is, demolition). Let's hope the "new" council chambers signal a new era for all of Minneapolis' historic buildings. I hope the council chambers serve as a reminder to those who vote there that these structures should be actively and aggressively preserved so we aren't faced with regrets years later. I fear we are hearing only platitudes from city hall about efforts to save other landmarks such as the roundhouse. We saw today in the council chambers that historic buildings aren't just "nice" or "pretty;" they are indeed useful and can bring new life to a community. Gayle Bonneville Northeast Minneapolis/Waite Park _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
