Sometimes, Architects Get to Make History.
Most of the time, architects are focused on the present, or even the future. Clients come to us because they’re expecting children and their house is getting too small, or they are thinking ahead to retirement years, and want something smaller. Recently, I had the chance to go back in time, to August 1, 2007, to be exact.
As anyone in Minnesota will tell you, that was a horrific day in our history. Just after rush hour that evening, with no warning, the I-35 W Bridge over the Mississippi collapsed, dropping nearly 300 people, and causing the deaths of 13. Like many others who work in Minneapolis, I’ve got my own collapse story¬– having driven under the north end of the bridge just minutes before the collapse.
Like everyone else, I was shocked and touched by the event. For the next few days, as the victims were recovered and identified, the ripples of grief swept out as connections were identified and lives mourned. A friend of a friend, a young student from across the street. Due to SALA’s location near the bridge, our office was in the shadow of the recovery stage, deconstruction, and rebuilding of the bridge. Roads were closed, and construction work hampered our commutes. A year later, the new bridge was complete and traffic patterns back to normal- yet things had fundamentally changed, too. A beautiful memorial was established near the collapse site, yet I cannot pass by without thinking of that tragedy.
Last year, we were approached by Bluestem Heritage Group, a local museum consulting firm, to partner in creating an exhibit on the bridge collapse for the Firefighter’s Hall and Museum. The museum is tucked into NE Minneapolis, near our office, and is a hidden gem of history. The museum wanted to create an exhibit that would honor the efforts of the firefighters that day. We were honored and pleased to be included in the collaboration.
Over a series of months, we worked with Bluestem Heritage and the museum to develop an exhibit design that would capture the power of the bridge collapse site. I knew immediately that we wanted to use steel – the main material of the bridge, but I also wanted to re-create the disorienting angles of the collapse, and to reference the depth and smoothness of the river. Timing and budget were tight, but the exhibit team and the museum volunteers worked hard to design and build a strong, meaningful space. “81 Minutes: After the Bridge Collapsed” opened last summer for the fifth anniversary of the collapse, and is now a permanent exhibit at the Firefighter’s Hall and Museum.
This week, we learned that our exhibit was cited for an award of merit by the American Association of State and Local Historians (AASLH). We are pleased with the acknowledgement, of course, but the greater honor lies with the opportunity to help tell the stories of the firefighters that day. Their efforts during those 81 minutes saved lives, and their stories are incredibly powerful. You should go see it!
SALA project team:
David O’Brien Wagner, AIA; Leah Neubeck, Chris Meyer, AIA
