Riverside Plaza
Encyclopedia
Riverside Plaza is a modernist
and brutalist
apartment
complex designed by Ralph Rapson
that opened in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
in 1973. Situated on the edge of downtown Minneapolis
in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, and next to the University of Minnesota
's West Bank, the site contains the 39-story McKnight Building, the tallest structure outside of the city's central business district
. Initially known as Cedar Square West, the exterior shots of the complex were featured on television
as the residence of Mary Richards
in later seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
.
's Unité d'Habitation
design), which strongly dates the period of construction. Many local residents consider the brutalist complex an eyesore
. Interstate 94
and I-35W
both pass nearby, giving good highway transportation options for occupants, but the corridors also act as barriers to pedestrians. Despite these drawbacks, the complex has been successful in maintaining a high occupancy rate, rarely dipping below 90% in three decades.
Riverside Plaza is composed of six buildings and has 1,303 residential units, making it the main feature of the city's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Each building has a different height, intended to reflect the diversity of its population. Rapson was inspired by the time he spent in Europe
an cities where people of different ages and levels of wealth coexisted in close quarters. The area was developed with support from the U.S. federal government's "New Town-In Town" program, and was originally planned to be part of a utopian design that would have seen 12,500 units spread across four "neighborhoods" housing a total of 30,000 people.
The complex was thus initially a mixed-housing initiative earmarked for both high-income and low-income residents, including renters and leasers. However, the buildings' new owners converted the structures into subsidized housing to benefit from a 10% state subsidy in addition to regular rental revenue. According to Rapson, who designed the towers and still lived and worked in the neighborhood, they also did not take proper care of the buildings, which led to nicknames such as the "Ghetto in the Sky" and the "Crack Stacks". A string of homicide
s in the early 1990s also contributed to a negative image.
According to local police, however, neighborhood crime has fallen over the years following the deployment of a few additional patrol officers. The Plaza has also evolved into a lively haven for new immigrant families, particularly from Vietnam
and Northeast Africa. The apartment complex's nickname has thus changed to "Little Somalia
", reflecting its modern makeup.
As of 2011, Riverside Plaza has over 4,500 tenants living in 1,303 units, split equally between market-rate and subsidized apartments. The average duration of occupancy is three to four years, a relatively quick turnover owing to the upward mobility of the newly-arrived tenants, who are using the apartments as a temporary housing solution while they get on their feet.
The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 28, 2010. The statement of significance cites its importance as a well-preserved example of urban redevelopment spurred by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the first to receive Title VII funding. It is also locally significant as one of the most prominent examples of Ralph Rapson's work.
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
and brutalist
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
complex designed by Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson was the head of architecture at the University of Minnesota for many years...
that opened in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1973. Situated on the edge of downtown Minneapolis
Central, Minneapolis
The Central community in Minneapolis is located in the central part of the city, consisting of 6 smaller official neighborhoods, and includes Downtown Minneapolis, the central business district...
in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, and next to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
's West Bank, the site contains the 39-story McKnight Building, the tallest structure outside of the city's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. Initially known as Cedar Square West, the exterior shots of the complex were featured on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
as the residence of Mary Richards
Mary Richards
Mary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, is the main character of the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.-Family:Mary Richards, born in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the daughter of Walter and Dottie Richards...
in later seasons of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
.
History
The imposing concrete structures use multi-colored panels (attempting to emulate Le CorbusierLe Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
's Unité d'Habitation
Unité d'Habitation
The Unité d'Habitation is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso...
design), which strongly dates the period of construction. Many local residents consider the brutalist complex an eyesore
Eyesore
An eyesore is an unpleasant view. Its technical usage is as an alternative perspective to the notion of landmark. Common examples include dilapidated buildings, graffiti, litter, polluted areas and excessive commercial signage such as billboards. Some eyesores may be a matter of opinion such as...
. Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
and I-35W
Interstate 35W (Minnesota)
Interstate 35W , is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Minnesota, passing through downtown Minneapolis. It is one of two through routes for Interstate 35 through the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the other being Interstate 35E through downtown Saint Paul...
both pass nearby, giving good highway transportation options for occupants, but the corridors also act as barriers to pedestrians. Despite these drawbacks, the complex has been successful in maintaining a high occupancy rate, rarely dipping below 90% in three decades.
Riverside Plaza is composed of six buildings and has 1,303 residential units, making it the main feature of the city's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Each building has a different height, intended to reflect the diversity of its population. Rapson was inspired by the time he spent in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an cities where people of different ages and levels of wealth coexisted in close quarters. The area was developed with support from the U.S. federal government's "New Town-In Town" program, and was originally planned to be part of a utopian design that would have seen 12,500 units spread across four "neighborhoods" housing a total of 30,000 people.
The complex was thus initially a mixed-housing initiative earmarked for both high-income and low-income residents, including renters and leasers. However, the buildings' new owners converted the structures into subsidized housing to benefit from a 10% state subsidy in addition to regular rental revenue. According to Rapson, who designed the towers and still lived and worked in the neighborhood, they also did not take proper care of the buildings, which led to nicknames such as the "Ghetto in the Sky" and the "Crack Stacks". A string of homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
s in the early 1990s also contributed to a negative image.
According to local police, however, neighborhood crime has fallen over the years following the deployment of a few additional patrol officers. The Plaza has also evolved into a lively haven for new immigrant families, particularly from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and Northeast Africa. The apartment complex's nickname has thus changed to "Little Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
", reflecting its modern makeup.
As of 2011, Riverside Plaza has over 4,500 tenants living in 1,303 units, split equally between market-rate and subsidized apartments. The average duration of occupancy is three to four years, a relatively quick turnover owing to the upward mobility of the newly-arrived tenants, who are using the apartments as a temporary housing solution while they get on their feet.
The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 28, 2010. The statement of significance cites its importance as a well-preserved example of urban redevelopment spurred by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the first to receive Title VII funding. It is also locally significant as one of the most prominent examples of Ralph Rapson's work.