Technically, these are smack dab in between Minneapolis and Saint Paul so I'm not really sure to whom they actually belong. I sorta hope it's Minneapolis because they are just so hideous in my opinion. Either way, there you go! And these were shot from a moving vehicle so a little leeway on the clarity and composition please! :) Thank you!!!
3 comments:
I recently read about this apartment building, which, by the way, Minneapolis happily claims.
In 1975, producers of the Mary Tyler Moore TV show decided to move their heroine to the newly-built, multi-colored apartment complex known as Cedar Square West in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis (it is now called Riverside Plaza).
Riverside Plaza first appeared in the Season 6 episode of the show which was aptly entitled “Mary Moves Out”. Mary continued to be a resident of the building throughout the remaining two seasons of the series, which ended in 1977.
Riverside Plaza, which is comprised of six towers, was constructed in 1973 by architect Ralph Rapson and was modeled after a multi-use residential housing design known as Unite d’Habitacion.
Rapson was inspired to build the complex after a vacation in Europe when he discovered similar style communities in which groups of different economic and cultural backgrounds lived together in close proximity. He originally envisioned Riverside Plaza to be comprised of 11 buildings with 12,500 different apartment units which would house over 30,000 people. His vision was never realized, however.
The project's developer defaulted on his loans and only six buildings, comprised of 1,303 individual units, were completed. Supposedly, there are several skyways on the premises which were never finished and therefore lead to nowhere.
Because 50% of the units are subsidized housing, the complex is currently home to a large number of low-income residents.
The Plaza is rundown, infested with crime and drugs, and now referred to as “the crack stack”.
Riverside Plaza is scheduled to undergo a $90 million renovation project in the near future to make it more energy-efficient and, although hard to believe, is being considered for Historic Landmark status.
those are the riverside plaza apartment complex and they are in minneapolis.
Wow GooChick! That is AMAZING information. I loved MTM and never knew that she lived in THOSE apartments. I've never heard the term "crack stack" before. I've only ever heard "Little Somalia" due to the majority of people living there. Thanks for all the history. That's so fantastic. And glad you are still checking in when I've been so inconsistant about posting pics. :) Thanks!
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