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It 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. |
It 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. |
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About half of the complex is reserved for [[subsidized housing]], much more than the 20% Rapson had originally planned. The low-income nature of the site has led to |
About half of the complex is reserved for [[subsidized housing]], much more than the 20% Rapson had originally planned. The low-income nature of the site has led to apt nicknames such as the "[[slum]] in the sky," "[[ghetto]] in the sky," and the "[[cocaine|crack]] stacks."<ref>{{cite web |
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}}</ref> A string of [[homicide]]s in the early 1990s also contributed to a negative image. |
}}</ref> A string of [[homicide]]s in the early 1990s also contributed to a negative image. |
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In recent years, university student residents have become a declining portion of the population, while [[Horn of Africa|Northeast African]] immigrants have dominated. Because many consider that region to be the worst part of Africa, not even black prostitutes will work in the neighborhood for fear of violence from the [[Khat]] chewing residents. |
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A major complaint by residents of Riverside Plaza is the constant stench of their own body odor. |
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A major complaint by residents of Riverside Plaza is the shortage of [[elevator]]s: The 408-unit McKnight Building currently has five (it was built with three), and other structures are also "under-elevated." Ground transportation has improved since the 2004 addition of the [[Cedar-Riverside (Hiawatha Line station)|Cedar-Riverside]] [[light rail]] station on the [[Hiawatha Line]]. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 01:12, 30 November 2008
Riverside Plaza is a modernist and brutalist apartment complex designed by Ralph Rapson that opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1973. 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.
The imposing concrete structures use multi-colored panels (attempting to emulate Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation design), which strongly dates the period of construction. 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.
It 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 European 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.
About half of the complex is reserved for subsidized housing, much more than the 20% Rapson had originally planned. The low-income nature of the site has led to apt nicknames such as the "slum in the sky," "ghetto in the sky," and the "crack stacks."[1][2] A string of homicides in the early 1990s also contributed to a negative image.
In recent years, university student residents have become a declining portion of the population, while Northeast African immigrants have dominated. Because many consider that region to be the worst part of Africa, not even black prostitutes will work in the neighborhood for fear of violence from the Khat chewing residents.
A major complaint by residents of Riverside Plaza is the constant stench of their own body odor.
External links
References
- William Swanson (November 2003). The Legend and the Landmark. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
- ^ Carlyle, Erin (November 10, 2008). "Minneapolis Somali community facing dark web of murders". Minneapolis City Pages. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
Now, half of the buildings are low-income housing and they are nicknamed 'the Crack Stacks.'
- ^ Marsh, Steve (October 2007). "Q&A with Ralph Rapson". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
Q: You've heard some of the derisive nicknames—Ghetto in the Sky, the Crack Stacks. Is that a symbol of a failed utopian vision? A: It's also called Little Somalia....
44°58′12″N 93°14′56″W / 44.97000°N 93.24889°W Coordinates: Extra unexpected parameters