St. Paul/Minneapolis Favorites: A Day At The Twin Cities Public Libraries

The Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are a study in contrasts and similarities. St. Paul is more insulated, a place to raise your family, and a city that tends to adhere to the past through the preservation of some of its older historic buildings, architecture, and street design. It is not without it's modern side, but St. Paul is much like the first born child, the responsible one. The dutiful son who must carry on the tradition of the forefathers. It is the center of commerce and trade. It is a little more stoic in it's manner, but yet appreciates the arts and cultural pursuits. It is home of the stately Summit Ave. with some grand mansions and houses that reflect its upbringing. St. Paul is not a hotbed of nightlife, although many interesting night spots and restaurants do exist.

Minneapolis, on the other hand, is the more impetuous younger brother. It is where you live out your misspent youth before settling down in St. Paul. The population is more transient, bohemian, and modern. And so is the architecture. The city went through an urban renewal phase in the 1950's and '60's which demolished blocks of some of the most beautiful stone buildings in favor of building giant towers of glass and steel. However, Minneapolis is not that callous. It has preserved some of its historical landmarks and treasured buildings. Downtown on a Saturday night is bustling with people frequenting the bars, restaurants, theaters, and clubs that line Hennepin Ave.

Despite their differences, each city has a commitment to the intellectual well-being of its citizens, and both are home to large, central libraries that house hundreds of thousands of volumes of books, CDs, records, reading spaces, computer stations, meeting rooms, and children's reading rooms, all accessible to the public.

I love libraries. I love everything about them. The smell of aging books, the smell of history. Getting lost in the maze of giant stacks and always finding something of interest to bring home and read. I was so proud when I got my first library card. I always took home more books and records than I could possibly read or listen to in the allotted three week lending time. I still go to the library almost every week or so. I still get more books than I can read and way too many CD's than I can ever listen to, but that's the beauty of the public library system. It is because of my love of libraries, that on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Mrs. and I took a trek to both the St. Paul and Minneapolis Central libraries to see these differences for ourselves.

The St. Paul Central Library is located in the heart of Downtown St. Paul on Rice Park. Surrounding it is the St. Paul Hotel, The Landmark Center, and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The building is a white marble Italian Renaissance revival style structure begun in 1914 and completed in 1917. It was renovated in 2002. Cobblestone streets surround the park square and in front of the building. If you close your eyes and listen closely, you can still hear the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages carrying patrons to the site. I did just that and almost got run over by a horse-drawn carriage as they still give carriage rides around the park. No wonder I could still hear them! The exterior of the building is made of of Tennessee marble and the interior is of gray Mankato stone with Blue Rutland and golden vein Formosa marble used in select areas.

Stepping inside is like stepping back in time. The design and detail is grand, but still inviting. Polished brass railed marble staircases wind up the side of the building allowing you to catch a view of the park. There are sculptural friezes on the landings depicting Knowledge, Instruction, Science and the Arts. The second floor Nicholson Information Commons features large arched windows and used to be the main reading room originally. The ceilings are painted beams that depict publisher marks from the 1910's, and the initials of the St. Paul Public Library. The third floor houses the magazine room and features a small alcove entered through three arches supported by groups of four columns. Despite the large arch windows, the feeling in the Library is more enclosed, it is a little darker, yet very warm and inviting. The the 20^th and 21^st centuries are brought together by the computer terminals that dot the various reading rooms, allowing access to the cyber-world from inside the grand halls.

Overall, like the city of St. Paul, the building is stately, somewhat insulated, a reminder of history, and still a vital link for its citizens to gather, to reflect, to read, and to steep themselves in knowledge.

We then traveled across "The River" (the Mississippi) to the Minneapolis Central Public Library. It too is located in the heart of Downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Ave. It has been newly rebuilt and remodeled and reopened in May, 2006. A modern glass and stone structure designed by Cesar Pelli, it fits in well with Minneapolis' more urban, modern lifestyle. The exterior is made of Kasota (or Mankato) limestone, mined from Mankato, Minnesota. The ground level is made of granite. The building utilizes glass walls to symbolize access to knowledge, that the Library is open to anyone and everyone.

Inside is a central lobby that runs the length of the building. On one side are the four floors of reading rooms and stacks, accessible by wood and glass-lined staircases, or by two large glass elevators. The other side is generally dedicated to the archive stacks, meeting rooms, auditoriums, and office space. These are accessible by pedestrian bridges that span the width of the Library, or by escalators. The feeling of the whole library is definitely spacious. There is a lot of natural light that encompasses the whole building. Each floor has artwork commissioned for the Library. Being a musician, my favorite is "The Lorelei Club" by Donald Lipski. It is a circular artwork comprised of twelve actual violins on which students at Minneapolis McPhail Center for Music have etched their names.

Overall, like most of Minneapolis, this is a thoroughly modern building, reminding us that progress is always afoot. I keep wondering how much Windex they have to go through to keep all the glass clean!

All in all, it was a great way to spend the day cheaply, and I learned some more about the history of my home cities. The bonus: I arrived home with more books and CD's than I'll have time for in the next three weeks. Sweet!

If you wish to support either the St. Paul or the Minneapolis Libraries, please click on the links.

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