Local attorney Amy Klobuchar discusses the making of the sporting dome facility in Minneapolis. In 1982, Klobuchar wrote the book Uncovering the Dome, a history of the political dealings that finally ended with the construction of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
SPEAKER: Well, of course, this is not the first time that city officials have turned to the Minneapolis business community to help with a major sports-related project back in the '70s. Business leaders played a key role in getting the Metrodome built. Minneapolis attorney, Amy Klobuchar, wrote a book called Uncovering the Dome About the Building of the Dome, and she joins us now. Good morning.
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Good morning. How are you?
SPEAKER: Just fine. What was business asked to do back in those days when it was time to build the dome?
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, it was a very different environment back then. It wasn't as much as they were asked to do it, but they came forward with a plan. They were carrying the ball back then, led by Harvey McKay and John Kolb. I mean, from the time the stadium bubbled up onto the agenda in the early '70s in the form of a proposal with the Minneapolis City Council to the time it opened its doors for baseball in 1982, the business community in Minneapolis was taking the lead.
And I think in the end, they pledged and gave about 15 million, some of it, in the form of charitable contributions, the bigger part of it in the form of common stock in the industry square development. But it was a lot of money, and they were very involved in the issue from the beginning. And you look back at what motivated them. And
I think that it depended on the person. I mean, McKay took a year off, actually, from his business and traveled around the country looking at stadiums. He even commissioned a study to see how many times the word "Minnesota" was used during the Vikings four appearances in the Super Bowl. And 279 times, in case anyone wondered.
SPEAKER: What's your sense? Was it primarily a matter of civic duty, civic commitment? Or were these people simply-- did they stand a lot to gain financially? And so why not make the effort?
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, I think it was a combination of things, and it varied from business leader to business leader. Some of it was a civic desire to build a community. Some of it was the fear, which they voiced many times that we'd become another frozen Omaha if we lost the Vikings and the Twins, a fear that the teams would leave, and then also the potential for some direct and indirect profit. Although I don't think they made much money off that industry square development.
I think it was the belief that we needed a strong downtown. And finally, there was a bit of altruism, but also a bit of egotism. I mean, they got themselves vested in this John Kolb Jr. and Harvey MacKay. And it was fun for them. And it was something that they had as a project. And you don't see that as much in this.
I mean, John Kolb Jr. is now-- I think he's been teaching aerobics and starting a women's baseball League. And Harvey MacKay is teaching the whole world how to run a business. So it's a little different. Although MacKay is still very involved in this, as is Bob Dayton.
SPEAKER: What's your sense? Did the business leaders at that time have more latitude to operate than they do now? That is to say that they have a lot of shareholders looking over their shoulder, demanding quick return on their money.
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, it was the early 80s, and there was a different spirit back then about unlimited possibilities that I don't think you have as quite as much in the '90s. And you just also had the fact that they were-- it was the idea of Minneapolis businesses versus Bloomington. And they had a vested interest in trying to keep their own city strong. You don't have that going on.
Here, you also have a stadium that's already been built, and they're coming in. When you hear the words that are used to describe what they're asking to do, it's rescuing, as opposed to coming up with a plan. But I don't think that means that they're not going to respond because we still have a strong tradition of public private partnerships here.
And the stadium itself has worked-- the domed stadium. It's brought people downtown. People may come once for a game from the suburbs, and then they decide to come back for dinner. And I don't think anyone can dispute the fact that it's made the city a more vibrant place in the evenings.
SPEAKER: Do you think a handful, a relative handful of business leaders in Minneapolis still have the clout to deliver something like this? Or has the leadership and the business community become more diffuse over the years?
AMY KLOBUCHAR: Well, one thing that's happened is you've seen, for instance, in the case of Pillsbury, you've seen more national companies come in. US West was once Northwestern Bell. It's become more of a national business, and sometimes that makes some businesses less vested in the city itself.
But I see when you see the companies that are involved in this effort right now-- Dayton's and US West, Northwest, IDS, and Honeywell-- it appears that they are ready to take some leadership on it. And I think only time will tell on that. But you do have a little different community than you did back at the time of the dome.
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