Great Architecture of the Twin Cities

Originally published Feb. 23, 2011

I was thinking this morning about how lucky I am to be an architectural photographer in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota.  We have so many great buildings between the two cities and as if that wasn't enough, the Mississippi River runs through both.  I am one of those people who thinks that water makes everything more interesting.  Having photographed cities that do not have bodies of water in them, I can just say it's better with water.  But, back to the main topic, the great architecture we have.

Minneapolis can boast being home to such stunning architecture as The Guthrie Theater, the IDS Tower, the Foshay Center, the Minneapolis Central Library, the Orpheum, the State Theater, the Basilica of St. Mary, the Weisman Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, to mention a few.  They have at least 3 remarkable bridges (Third Avenue, Father Hennepin, and the Stone Arch) that cross the river providing fabulous cityscape shots for anyone willing to take the time to venture there (and lots of great food excuses to get you there too).

St. Paul is equally fascinating from an architectural standpoint.  For starters they have the Capitol and the surrounding structures.  The Ordway, St. Paul Central Library and St. Paul Hotel are anchors to the Rice Park area, as well as the Landmark Center.  Other notable edifices include The Cathedral of St. Paul, the Fitzgerald Theatre, the Children's Museum, and the Hamm Building.  St. Paul is home to the Wabasha Street Bridge and my personal favorite, the Smith Street a/k/a High Bridge crossing over the Mississippi, both of which provide excellent opportunities for cityscape photos.

After all this talk about the great architecture we have, I'm starting to wonder what I'm doing sitting here typing on my computer.  I have a lot to do!  Maybe I will start a self assignment and post images I can make of some of these buildings.  In the meantime...I have something much more exciting for next week (and a lot more computer work)...I just have to keep it a secret until then!  Let's just say it has to do with one of the buildings mentioned in this blog.

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