The historic
Northrop building, which hosts various performing arts, concerts, academic
ceremonies, and civic events on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus, is undergoing a major retooling of its function and form.
The $80.8 million revitalization project that the Board of Regents approved on Feb. 11 represents much more than a renovation, explains Steven Rosenstone, who serves as the university's vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs.
In 2006 the university took steps to stabilize and restore the 1929 building's exterior, which factors into the total cost, according to Rosenstone.
For too long, the Northrop has been on borrowed time, he says. He refers to a 2005 report that states, "No aspect of the building is without issue." It has problems with its heating and electrical systems, air flow, drinking water, elevators and more, he explains.
Rather than just fixing the building, which would be more expensive, "The idea was, let's rethink it to be a more vital and valuable resource to the university and Minnesota," he says. "It has to work for the 21st century in a way it doesn't right now."
Where in the past the university only used the place 51 days a year, mainly at night, it'll be used to house several programs including the University Honors Program, Institute for Advanced Study, and Innovation by Design. Additionally, it'll provide for collaboration and study, with a global conference center, premium seminar and meeting rooms and a café, according to university information.
Memorial Auditorium will be completely restored and become a "vastly superior performance space," seating 2,800 people, which is down from 4,800.
A team of historic preservationists that includes designers and architects are behind the project, including some people who led the restoration of several other old buildings on campus.
The building, which will soon be under construction, is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2013. "It'll be a very thoughtful design" for a "spectacular building."
Source: Steven Rosenstone, vice president for scholarly and cultural affairs at the University of Minnesota
Writer: Anna Pratt