Situated on the east bank of the Mississippi in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Pillsbury Flour Mill took advantage of the power produced by St. Anthony Falls to produce 17,500 barrels of flour per day. Pillsbury A Mill was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks in 1966. Of the four large flour mills in the city during the peak of Minneapolis’s reign as the milling capital of the country, the Pillsbury A Mill is the only one remaining.
Pillsbury Flour Mill at Night
The lighted arches of the Stone Arch Bridge frame at night the historic Pillsbury A Mill in Minneapolis.
The Pillsbury A Mill, constructed in 1881, was once the largest and most advanced flour mill in the world.
Framing Pillsbury Flour Mill
The Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge spans 17 lanes of busy street and interstate highway to connect the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with Loring Park just west of downtown Minneapolis. Unlike the industrial style pedestrian bridges built in the 1960s and 1970s, the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge is a somewhat whimsical structure that was designed to be a piece of artwork as well as being a functional bridge. The result is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Twin Cities, one that is as fun as it is functional.
A mother and child play by the bridge …
Playing by the Bridge
The Stone Arch Bridge, historical and modern buildings, water from the Mississippi River, and reflections therein form a visual convergence point in Minneapolis
Convergence Point
The Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978, and after a period of disuse, was repaired and adapted in the early 1990s to its present use. The bike and walking trails across the bridge are integrated into the city’s park and trail system, and form part of the St Anthony Falls Heritage Trail, which includes interpretive plaques describing the history of the area.
A Walkway to the City
The Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis, Minnesota, was built between 1882 and 1883. Originally intended to be built as an iron bridge spanning the Mississippi at Nicollet Island, it was discovered that pursuing that design would be detrimental to St Anthony Falls’ eroding sandstone. The design of the bridge was pioneering and the signature arches were designed to account for the falls and the surrounding topography.
Stone Arches of the Bridge
The Stone Arch Bridge is a former railroad bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire length of the Mississippi River.
The Pillsbury A-Mill, seen here behind the Stone Arch Bridge, held the title of largest flour mill in the world for 40 years. Completed in 1881, it was owned by Pillsbury and operated two of the most powerful direct-drive waterwheels ever built, each generating 1,200 horsepower (895 kW). The mill still stands today on the east side of the Mississippi River and has been converted into resident artist lofts.
Stone Arch Bridge over Mississippi
Multiple bridges over the Mississippi River connect various areas of Minneapolis
Bridges to the City
The Mississippi River runs through Minneapolis creating a need for multiple bridges. The image below is of the Third Avenue Bridge over Saint Anthony Falls.
A River Runs Through the City
Reflections of Basilica of Saint Mary and freeway walkway bridge on glass windows and accentuated by the brickwork of Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Reflections at Walker Art Center
September Room (room with two reclining figures and composition with long verticals) at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
Mark Manders combines human figures and architectural elements to evoke the past and present, the familiar and unfamiliar. Three monumental heads recall classical Greek sculpture, yet seem to be trapped between boards or beams. With their delicately textured surfaces, these pieces at first appear to be modeled in wood or wet clay, but are actually cast in metal. The title September Room suggests a living space.
September Room
September Room Vertical
A seeming paradox – the beauty of old architecture of Basilica of Saint Mary placed between creative modern art of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Placed between Modern Art
Towering nearly 25 feet over the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Katharina Fritsch’s blue rooster is at once lifelike and completely unreal. Animals and everyday objects have long been subjects for the artist, who makes them otherworldly and extraordinary through bold shifts in scale, color, and material. The rooster can be a symbol of pride, power, and courage or posturing and macho prowess. Fritsch has admitted that she enjoys “games with language,” and the sculpture’s tongue-in-cheek title knowingly plays on its double meaning. Like Spoonbridge and Cherry,(image posted here yesterday) Hahn/Cock presents an unexpected take on the idea of a traditional public monument. Together, these two landmarks show how ordinary objects can become iconic and deeply symbolic.
The Basilica of Saint Mary adds a perspective on changing art over time.
A Rooster at Church
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is an 11-acre park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States. It is located near the Walker Art Center.
Claes Oldenburg became a key voice in Pop Art, a 1960s movement that saw many artists turning to advertising and consumer products for subject matter. Spoonbridge and Cherry is one of their most celebrated collaborations. It was the first work commissioned for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1988.
The fountain-sculpture was inspired by a novelty item Oldenburg had collected in 1962, featuring a spoon resting on an “island” of plastic chocolate. From this, the artists envisioned a gigantic utensil as a fanciful bridge over a pond. In considering Minnesota as a site, they compared the spoon’s raised bowl to the prow of a Viking ship or a duck bobbing in a lake. Van Bruggen added the cherry, a personal symbol recalling happy moments in a childhood clouded by World War II. At more than 50 feet long, Spoonbridge and Cherry has delighted visitors ever since and is now a familiar and iconic symbol for the Twin Cities.
Spoonbridge and Cherry
Cars speed past the Basilica of Saint Mary oblivious of its beauty.
The Basilica of Saint Mary is a Roman Catholic minor basilica located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first basilica established in the United States.
Rushing Past Basilica of Saint Mary
Changing color of leaves as Fall arrives in Minneapolis
Fall in Minneapolis
Fall colors against a blue sky during a visit to Minneapolis
Fall Colors on Blue Sky