Recently the New Guthrie Theater was built. Okay, so it was two years ago but that isn’t a big deal. The important question is wither or not it fits into the downtown cityscape and does it make sense as a design. The resounding response is no, not even remotely.

Even Simon Cowell’s biting responses on “Everybody Hates Everyone” (or whatever his shows name is) seem to be to kind for this structure. I mean look at it. It looks like it was constructed out of blue Legos.


The Minneapolis riverfront is a covered in warehouses from a time where brick and white paint must have been about as expensive as poo and waffles. Coupled with the vast overcrowding of trees from a century of unchecked growth, the Minneapolis riverfront area is a mixture of nature and brick.

Enter our “Big Blue” deally that looks about as out of place and nervous as a Baptist priest at a college keg party. The block-style building may be a popular one among the rich upper class and thespian types, but I cannot help but thinking that this would be an amazing theater visually say next to the ocean or anywhere but where it sits. Downtown amidst a collage of brick mills where it even seems to be “flying the bird” at the rest of the area may have been a bad choice.


Who, you might ask, is responsible for this misplaced Blocko masterpiece? Ralph Rapson is the architect that landed the gig. Among his other notable works there is the ever-popular Riverside Plaza aka “Ghetto in the Sky” which stands as a monument to remind all of downtown that there are people who make less than them and would be willing to shoot them for money but a few miles away.


To be honest the building conjures thoughts of a young boy, say Mr. Rapson’s nephew Willy, sitting down on the floor of his Uncles studio. Ralph waiting with baited breath and paper in hand as his nephew builds “Whatever you want to build, buddy” with the new all blue Lego set that his nice uncle bought for him.

Now I am not going as far to say that Willy actually designed the thing but he does get Legos from his uncle at least once a month.