Minneapolis to me is a miracle Town it always had been for the simple reason. I started life here 40 years ago fourteen three years ago 45 years ago with the Dickey Davis's that you may remember he was director of the museum here at that time and they're both dead now, but I built them a house which the winton's now live in in was that and like used to come out for that and I remember thinking how warm it was out here middle of winter, but somehow there's no cold in Minneapolis people have entirely the wrong idea you go to the Frozen North you don't you come to a very friendly city where the snow doesn't make much under your feet. You come to New York. You need boots here. You need no boots in New York, you slip and slide as we did yesterday in Crash 18 cars on the highways here. You don'tI know sure. I understand what God meant by that little trick that the temperature out there says there or somewhere around the neat thing but it doesn't feel that way. I suppose it's something about humidity. I don't know about science, but you don't have to know anything about science to know that it's a wonderful place in you got to get over that reputation Minneapolis. One of those cities. There are two in the United States. That was John and I have had a lot of fun working in both of them and they both are under appreciated by the rest of the country and I darned if I know why one is Pittsburgh, which would you don't even know about your C then Minneapolis that the Pittsburgh Ian's probably don't know about it.But they both are friendly they're both have good architecture her. I wouldn't be sitting standing here today and they both have a undeserved under Germany neglected Pittsburgh for a good reason. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face there when I was a kid 50 60 years ago 70 years ago, but they cleaned it up and you didn't have to clean your see up. It's already clean, but it what did so Miracle is about about this place is the decision 20 years ago that ideas made now, it's all very well to say the John Brady and I have built ideas IDs built IDs Minneapolis built ideas and the constellations of things that have to happen to create a Civic Center it almost in uncounted and if you would have been in government know how hard it is to get anything across anywhere at all for any reason and we're just have beneficiaries of a John and ILucky one we came in at the last minute and did what comes naturally you tell it as they did to build a 50-story building will 50 stories in those days. Can you imagine it would be what about 80 would be now and I hope we're going to build a Navy Story one. That would be such fun and Minneapolis would then become even better known but at John and I have a lot of 80 stories guy screws in the back of our heads not on paper, but even though it gets on paper, we don't know what it's going to be like to not ideas when we build it was avant-garde. None of you were alive to remember to accept any dating that I even saw him here, but Kenny got us out here to do it. It's an amusing story. Why one of the little chips that came and I said IDs did it what I mean. Is it Kenny baton? Did it what I mean is everybody did it but Kenny's is the is the shortest route to explaining it. He wanted a house. He saw my house in the lake to early 50s. And this said could you do me household? I couldn't and he got himself a very good architect friend of mine named wriggle it and which he's still living in but in the meantime, he got associate somehow because it was interesting in many. Police with IDs and so we consider that we built this building for Kenny Dayton and for the ideas people, but the funny part of it was another accident came in there never would have been a building and this is where the appreciation of the city begins it began right with that block that the job that came into our office at a John often tells the story. He was more more involvement even than I was at that time ideas only had a half a block and you know don't you know the blocks in this place? They're too big to build on and too small to build on half. So it's one of the great problems that everybody faces in Minneapolis. The latest one is Northwest. Of course that fortunately looks out over their own sex. But otherwise that half block site would have been none buildable. We had an unbelievable sight. We have the southern half of where the ideas building it and I'll never forget the eloquence of John McGee speaking to the owners of ideas. He says you blithering friends dear friends There's no way of 50-story building can go on a half a site. So why don't you buy the I thought he was I'm shuddering you just buy the other half a block. Well, of course, it didn't happen to be for sale. But somehow or other the quarter of it was owned by the Allegheny Corporation in the Allegheny Corporation was owned by by Allegheny Corporation also owned IDs. So we worked out a deal with the last owner paid involve. Somebody told me later some four times the proper price but somehow the whole block got available, but that is what made it possible John and I were always use naturally you get a big-block you build a building on it and leave the rest of their land open to get to that building we decided to turn it inside out and to build around the open part and let it become a perimeter building Circle a doughnut to in the middle would be the excitement and that's exactly the way it work 90s. Whether they thought we were crazy or not, but they were very busy making money. So in the interstices when they weren't watching we got the building built and we've been very happy ever since it still I was down there this morning. It looks simply marvelous. We I remember when we had the symphony orchestra. There was an opening night and it was the best party I ever was at the hotel of course has no Lobby. We had a few little problem. It was a bank there where our lobby was supposed to be, you know little difficult to move around but that did lead to a wonderful career for us. So John and I have this affection for this town which would if it works out be crowned by the incredible feat and I don't know any city in the country that has been lucky enough to have this happen to have them all free and open and to have two open ends and to build at one end and then even to have Opportunity even to be asked even have blame Kelly speaking to us about the possibility the dream of a another anchor for the mall in the in already the most beautiful city in the country would be something that I think even the history books would have to admit was rather extraordinary. So we come here at any time anybody wants to see John Magee. Anybody wants to all you have do is ask us we at your feet. We live here all the time the funny profit about Minneapolis felt. It's a miracle place because you are more involved with our art than any other city. I mean, it's unbelievable that in one of these Minnesota meetings that I can't be persuading you to back the SDI or two to talk heavy politics because this has nothing to do with anything of that importance and yet you're here and you're in no other City. Would you be in a place like this listening to it to a crazy architect? But the point is that you whether you know it or not you see this is the funny part most of the things you do or unconscious and this one the loving Architects. That's just me. I'm sorry, but the motives Rings Of Human Action will never plum. That you're feeling for architecture John and I are convinced the world is quite insane and the from underneath here Choir The Great patrons in Minneapolis. Why is Kenny digging in Minneapolis? He could have been in any city in the United States. It could have been a Connecticut. I could have built in my house. But no we had to come from Annapolis. White is IDs in Minneapolis. No sense at all. Obviously belongs in New York Y is 3 mu Y is anything happening up here? Because it's a great City. That's why architecture happens here and that brings me to the main point. I knew I had a main point. The main point is that you have an architectural Center here that I'll bet. You don't know I bet you don't know consciously, I mean that if you were a man from Mars and you're looking checking over things in this country and you want to say, where would I go? I want to see some mock American architecture of the last two three decades and where should I only got time for one city and you asked a lot of Americans. What city would they say we'll probably not Minneapolis, but that is nevertheless the answer. Minneapolis is the center of architecture of the last two decades and I can I've got them right here. I remember him just in time you have Consciousness quickly and in five minutes, John can prove it name 15 buildings here in town that are done by Architects even small streams since the ideas and ideas had nothing to do with it. It's your own sense of patronage and somehow selection. But that comes also another fact is really no reason for this 15 is that you're so friendly you're so receptive. You're not chauvinistic. Most of these Architects are from out of town. In other words. You've been so kind as to let us come even from New York. What was it called the decadent East to come and build here. We're not always so welcome in Canada. We've been told to go back across the border because aren't Canadians good enough to build for Canadians. It's not a very pleasant feeling you on the contrary. Welcome architecture in the result is you've got it. I don't know whether you know all the names that I know. Of course. You have one of Frank Lloyd Wright's best houses. Just way way back. You have Philip Johnson's first good house. Perhaps the Winton hands you have Can't even read them. But you got well, I was thinking Larry halperin's Mall who else has a mall at Wiggles? now, I'm not sure it's a good idea to wiggle them all I'm saying that but it does wiggle and it's very pleasant to do a walk-on and sometimes You got look at the mall question. I don't know that we're going to solve today. I got a pile of stuff from the mayor's office the other day. If you're from out of town and you say what do you think of our problem, you know perfectly. Well, that's the moment to shut up because you aren't going to please but half the people who wants to come to a town and please only half the people that doesn't work at all. Do you cover them? All you leave it open you leave the way it is. Do you what do you do? We don't know but look the extraordinary miles don't look at the birketts idea for the Federal Reserve. Nobody ever built anything. It's silly is that it's well known all over the country being in Minneapolis. It's a landmark Yama built very yamasaki from from Detroit built very few buildings everywhere anywhere, but this was his most distinguished. The Northwest gee I don't know everything's called Northwest up here and I get mixed up with the name. Thank you National Bank. Anyhow, that that porch at the end of the mall is well known as any other thing in in the country or stunning Yama you'd have to come here. If you were studying Johnson, you'd have to come here. If you're studying Frank Lloyd Wright. You'd have to come here though. Yeah, the whole history. They're not Yama. You are Helmut. Jahn, you have Bill Peterson. That's going Peterson Fox. You've got got Paul Friedberg. You've got all the landscape Parks had Barnes. You got been Thompson's river place. You can probably think of some more than I can. I can't even read what I got here. Not the name jugglin Tanguay who has a tongue. He building in the United States. Not very good, but it is a tanky billing and it is in the United States. No, I'm no good at all. If I don't go to town in south at least three-quarters of the people but it Yama is tonga's with a great friend of mine. And he knows what we think of each other's work and have more fun killing each other and than anybody else in the in the world. I wish he had more chance to build in this country. But again, we're but Minneapolis asked him who got around to asking him. He is a he's a pritzker prize winner and he was much better known than any American architect, but he doesn't get to build here except in Minneapolis. You could say that about most of these people whereas whereas helping build a more visible symbol, whereas that Barnes ability of more famous museum than than Walker Art Center where it says Cesar pelli a building Landmark, unfortunately, Oh dear. Anyhow, you can't talk about your fellow Architects when they build a right across the street from your Kenyon. But it is one of his best buildings. And and so is it one of one bill petersen's especially nice was coming in last night with that glowing Peak on that link in the center building it was it was a sign of beauty you have three of us OMS buildings here. That's more than strictly need as a collection. Again, I'm not saying Tales out of school. I just do I know everybody in that firm and they're all good friends, but I must quit when I'm all the way not ahead. But the question involving now is not what you've got. We all know that you've got the the center of the world on architecture and IDs was we're grateful as a part of that. But what do we do now? What are the next Boonies going to look like? Is it? All right for cities to become congeries of skyscrapers? Yes, it is is the answer to one. Why why didn't you York get famous? Because Wall Street was overcrowded. I mean everybody loves crowds. Everybody finds ways to get crowds finds ways to too cramped together. We Americans as everybody loves to a crowd and be the best way the most efficient way is the one that we found is to build skyscrapers and it's great pleasure now to me to be in a new city that wasn't here at all when I came we came out to build a single Tower in in a low low go low-rise City and now we come back and Rip Van Winkle is find everything changed nothing familiar and all grown up like a real City and put on necktie now and I can walk up and down the street and and we can have fun but architecture doesn't stand still look at the difference between the architectural approach of ideas and the approach of the later ones. There are some still in the style that we used to call the international style modern architecture of mies Van Der rohe, a buildings of All Glass. There are still some and they're still flat top buildings being built like City Center perhaps there are but there aren't many the new approach became perfectly clear after modern architecture sort of died died a natural death. It was a great period of History. It lasted from 1922 to 72. Let's say and do you have a fine example of it here, I guess the idea but things since 72 things have changed rapidly in the art of architecture and now we're in a broken-down State. No, we're not. We're in a pluralistic state. That is where we have more freedom. We have more chance to do things. They princess the top on the Radisson for instance the top on the building. I can't remember the name of quick somebody that blueglass building with the top. Thank you Piper. Jeffrey's not a name that I can remember more than one minute, but already the starting the breaking up of the glass box started perhaps with that building then then then you came of course, the two are tagging octagons with it with the pointy tops octagon became a very famous form we ourselves have on the boards to octagonal buildings. It's in the air. It's a shaft it gives you a sense of monumentality. That's natural to mankind. Now, what's going to happen? What if you had your druthers? Would you want to see at the other end of Nicollet Mall? Well, we very cleverly with our clients show them a piece of carved up. So You know just little pieces of foam. I mean what what can the future hold and again, it would be wonderful. If something would happen in this town to lead us the way to the next scheme. I'm having a show at the Modern Museum next bring about a new Direction. That's just come in. That's extremely powerful with the younger people again architecture takes us which I have no idea where it's going. It's just an exhibition of young people now led by the oldest in the group that I'm showing is Frank gehry who has a house already and was out of the winton's new edition and that's his actual use best house and one, of course, you know the national prize for the best house in America just last month, but this new Direction some people are going to find very ugly. In fact, I've already heard somebody say that the new Was ugly? Everything looks ugly should have heard that people have said you can't build a glass building in Minneapolis because the sun would be so terrible that cars would be wrecked and the reflections would be intolerable. I haven't heard from the latest accident record in Minneapolis, but I doubt very much that we come from the from the IDS building. Well now today we think the new shapes that are coming up are very peculiar looking and rather than describing them Confederate take the rest of the afternoon. It seemed best to leave little doubt in your minds as they are mine about what turned our pluralistic society is going to bring us. We have perhaps in this city in this near future the greatest opportunity of any any Civic body. In the world well in this country to stand for something you have your Stark you built your start the mall is there in place we were lucky enough to build at one end of the building and if by any chance we are granted the privilege all of us. I know mean me because the nothing there's nothing in the in Minneapolis. It doesn't take place this done by Minneapolis. We were counting this morning. How did come that IDs got there? And why do I like it better now than I did when we build it. But and so to most people but why you see those things I don't I don't think anybody know and I don't know who is going to be most responsible for the shape of this new building that the Blaine and Norman are thinking about but it's the greatest opportunity in the world. If we miss that one Minneapolis will have missed one. We will have missed one and the world will be a sadder place, but if we should win, If we should win and we sell what a city will be created a thing that city planners have dreamed up forever a semi pedestrian or real pedestrian whatever you people later decide walkway with a North Point and at Southpoint an entrance point a center point and lots of I hope incidents on the way down. It's a dream of the future of all Architects and of All City planets and you are the only people that are going to be able to bring in about. Thank you very much.