Star Tribune
Annual Minnesota homes tour show architectural influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, Japan, nature
Each cabin — available for virtual tours only — has hydronic radiant heating systems that provide a lower energy profile. Plus with a focus on mental wellness, the architect built decks and large windows with views of the forest and designed light-colored plywood walls and ceilings to reflect natural daylight throughout the interior.
The midcentury modern home was on the market for 10 minutes last year. The Minnetonka home went to the ones who wanted to renovate the home not tear it down. (American Institute of Architects Minnesota contest)
The 1954 midcentury modern home — from designers E.J. Hansen and Jay Boyle — was on the market for just 10 minutes last year, and it sold to buyers who wanted to renovate the house, not tear it down. R.A. Norsen — an admirer of Wright— originally designed and built the home. Norsen also helped pioneer the concept of “non-confined living for a confining climate.”
The home features salvaged original mahogany boards and trim reused in the sunroom and mudroom. With a focus on the environment, water collected on site adds natural restoration of the land to promote wildlife in the area. There are also plans to replace the asphalt driveway with a new gravel one.
In south Minneapolis, designers Nathaniel Tollefson, Isaac Tapp and Craft Design Build made architectural updates to the Harriet House to achieve energy efficiency without sacrificing contemporary design aesthetics. The house underwent a full energy retrofit with continuous exterior insulation, new siding, windows, mechanical systems and a full solar shingle roof to reduce the home’s energy needs and eliminate any reliance on fossil fuels.
The architects focused on making sure they used new materials to accomplish the contemporary aesthetic without it feeling out of place in the traditional neighborhood.
Built in an architect-designed community on 200 acres of restored prairie in Grant, Minn. east of the Twin Cities, the design team of Brent Nelson, Ashley Banden Bosch, Anna Beth Gunderson and PKA Architecture built the Prärie Hus to reflect German and Nordic heritage. But the home also emphasizes sustainability, accommodations for aging in place and multigenerational living in the future.
The debate around abortion is all but certain to remain and Morrison is in a unique position as an OB-GYN to shape it.
“I think one of the challenges around abortion is there’s been so much myth and disinformation about it for so many decades that people have been told things that just aren’t true about reproductive health care,” she said.
“We have that hill to climb to educate people and I think that has been happening in the wake of the Dobbs decision, we’ve seen the maternal health crisis unfold across the country,” Morrison continued. “I think that is probably my role to have just a calm, clear discussion about what the facts are and what the ramifications of abortion bans are.”
Anti-abortion advocates have been pressing President-elect Donald Trump for more restrictions on abortion, including abortion pills, but Republicans have not unveiled their agenda on reproductive rights. Morrison said banning the abortion drug mifepristone would have “devastating” consequences across the country.
Morrison is still thinking through legislation she wants to work on in Washington but said her priorities remain lowering the cost of prescription drugs, strengthening the Affordable Care Act and fighting for veterans.
She sees herself in line with Phillips’ leadership style and approach to legislation. Like Phillips, Morrison plans to join the moderate New Democrat Coalition and is interested in learning more about the bipartisan Problems Solvers Caucus, which the outgoing congressman is also a member of.
Oklahoma ($2.58), Texas ($2.65) and Mississippi ($2.67) had the cheapest gas, according to AAA. Gas was highest in Hawaii ($4.58) followed by California ($4.50) and Washington ($4.00), the auto club said.
The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood Tuesday at $2.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, according to GasBuddy.
But one station in southern Minnesota, a Cenex in LeRoy in Mower County, was selling gas for $2.21 a gallon, according to the gas price tracking website. In the metro, a BP Station in Ham Lake and a Speedway and Holiday station in Forest Lake were at $2.57 a gallon, GasBuddy reported.
The most expensive gas in Minnesota was in Dodge County at $3.11 a gallon, AAA reported.
José Flores scanned the parade of cars zipping down this dense thoroughfare in West St. Paul.
He waited for the bus on a bench, sitting beside bags stuffed with groceries. The nearby Walmart is one reason Flores, who lives in St. Paul’s East Side, frequents this retail-laden stretch of South Robert Street. But his preferred shopping corridor, with two lanes in each direction and turn lanes at intersections, can be tricky to traverse.
“There’s too much fast traffic,” he said, explaining drivers turning onto the main road sometimes cut off pedestrians making their way across.
Since February, the Minnesota Department of Transportation has been studying the corridor from Annapolis Street to Mendota Road to craft a plan to boost pedestrian and driver safety. The agency has solicited opinions from residents, many of whom want to reduce speeding and increase the corridor’s walkability.
MnDOT public engagement coordinator Alyssa Kruzel said the agency is considering various approaches to improving safety — from slowing traffic to modifying signals to slashing the number of parking lot entrances.
It will be the latest makeover for West St. Paul’s main thoroughfare. A multimillion dollar revitalization push brought dozens of new businesses to a 2.5-mile stretch of the corridor. Workers also installed center medians on parts of the road to reduce dangerous left turns.
But safety concerns remain, the MnDOT study states.
In May, a driver turned left onto the corridor from Wentworth Avenue on a flashing yellow arrow, ramming into a person crossing the road, a preliminary investigation found. The 36-year-old Brooklyn Park woman, who investigators said had the right of way, died days later.
