There are libraries in shopping malls in Seattle, Syracuse, Birmingham and other places. Hennepin County library had a proposal put a branch library in the Mall of America. Perhaps moving Walker library to the moribund Calhoun Square would rejuvenate the whole complex.
Walker library is not the first library that MPL has considered incorporating into a housing development. Here's a 2002 proposal to incorporate Roosevelt Library into a mixed-use housing development by Amy Ryan (who will be leaving MPL in January to become the new director of the HCL system) Not sure if this proposal is still active, but it does demonstrate MPL's interest in parterning with developers, and perhaps (niavely) assuming that they could retain some automony and control over the library section of the project. http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/minutes/lba121802b2.pdf Still believe that a visionary like architect Jeff Scherer could transform the original Walker into a library that would work. The new Walker was a bad design to begin with, the plaza with the library letters feels abandoned and neglected, the sunken courtyard lanquishes unused, the entry way is uninviting requiring a descent to charmless, utilitarian rows of bookshelves. It can't be "fixed," no matter how much money is thrown at it. The "curse" comes vividly to mind here...a space more devoid of good karma one can't imagine.... Pat Scott and a group of supporters have been making valiant efforts to get NRP funding for the Walker library from the neighborhoods that use it: http://www.swjournal.com/articles/2004/05/14/neighbors/neighbor07.txt And here's another excellent (Metzger?) article about the needed repairs and political issues involving Walker library: http://www.swjournal.com/articles/2004/05/28/news/news01.txt Madeline Douglass Kingfield REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
