urbanMSP

This beast looks worse every time I see it.

It's so bad. I want to cry.

EDIT: I think they used this trailer as inspiration for the exterior design

Maybe it's a modular building and they just stack trailers one on top of the other?

On a somewhat related note, the company I work for is building the world's largest modular building in Brooklyn, NY called "B2", and if it was successful it could change the way buildings are put together and make them more affordable to build. However, all I've heard so far is that the project isn't going along very smoothly.

This building is hideous. The colored panels are.. rust? yellow? orange? It's going to be hard to walk into the Target Express without gagging a little every time.

I don't know what you guys are talking about, that trailer looks pretty nice. Much better than the building behind it.

I'm not exactly a fan, but some of the reactions here seem a bit overly dramatic. I mean, if this makes you gag, make sure that at all costs you avert your eyes when walking by The Chateau.

Gosh, the melodrama. You guys need to realize that not every single building is going to look amazing, colors will be chosen wrong! Big deal! It's a ton better than a lot of apartments that you would find in some of the burbs, for example http://pics3.city-data.com/businesses/p ... 394176.JPG

Not the best building in the world, but not nearly as bad as you guys are making it out to be. At least we aren't building low rise commie block style buildings like we were in the '60s, '70s and '80s. Those things were hideous from day one. I think some posters here forget how bad every day architecture was in the second half of the 20th century and how much better it is now.

mplssept2010106 by afsmps, on Flickr

mplsmay201110 by afsmps, on Flickr

the Marshall is literally those buildings but connected by sky ways and painted lots of colors. it does have some retail so that's nice.

Gosh, the melodrama. You guys need to realize that not every single building is going to look amazing, colors will be chosen wrong! Big deal! It's a ton better than a lot of apartments that you would find in some of the burbs, for example http://pics3.city-data.com/businesses/p ... 394176.JPG

but they also tore down a beautiful historic highschool to build this heap, as well as made it impossible to re connect streets to make better traffic flow. the appearance is just an additional slap in the face to all the other negatives.

the Marshall is literally those buildings but connected by sky ways and painted lots of colors. it does have some retail so that's nice.

I wonder if these buildings were part of the massive urban renewal project that happened in Minneapolis in the 1950's. South Minneapolis in particular has quite a few of these buildings.

I believe a lot of them were co-developed by the Minneapolis Housing Redevelopment Authority (MHRA) and private developers in the '70s to try to make up for the units that were lost during the construction of the interstates.

they took down the fence and I saw someone peeing on this building. it has officially been welcomed to Dinkytown

Well what do you expect when it looks like a toilet?

Well what do you expect when it looks like a toilet?

By that logic, every building on 4th from the Library to Tony's Diner (including the beloved Mesa-Camdi building) looks like a toilet to college kids, since 'round bar close/Mesa time they're prime outdoor bathroom spots. Tear them all down!

they took down the fence and I saw someone peeing on this building. it has officially been welcomed to Dinkytown

The Dinkytown equivalent of cracking a bottle of champagne across the bow.

Well what do you expect when it looks like a toilet?

By that logic, every building on 4th from the Library to Tony's Diner (including the beloved Mesa-Camdi building) looks like a toilet to college kids, since 'round bar close/Mesa time they're prime outdoor bathroom spots. Tear them all down!

I was going along with the "it sucks" crowd....couldn't resist!

The best "toilets" are those with dark corners or even bushes to block the view from the street!

I have only seen the 5th Ave side, and I saw it again today. I disagree with all the bashing of this project. The 5th Ave side, which will be its most visible side, actually does a good job of breaking up the massing. For as large of a project as this is, it doesn't appear to be that big from this side. Once completed, I think we will be pleased with the look of this project.

Notice the cement base for the street lights on 14th. Does anybody know why they stick so far out of the ground? The light has to rest at least two and a half feet above the surface.