The Gateway
The area on the west bank of the Hennepin Avenue bridge was given the name “Gateway” over 100 years ago. The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot and the Milwaukee Road Depot operated a couple blocks from the bridge and local boosters were encouraging development. Their efforts led to the Nicollet Hotel, the Hotel Vendome, the St. James Hotel, the Boston Block and the Metropolitan building. A Depression-era renewal attempt brought the Minneapolis Main Post Office and Pioneer Square Park. Although much of that history was demolished in late 1950s, the area is still considered the heart city.
These days the Gateway boasts many of the city’s finest examples of modern architecture. Minoru Yamasaki’s Northwestern Insurance Building was graced the end of Nicollet Mall since 1965. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis built a new building at the end of Nicollet Mall in 1973. Constructed much like a suspension bridge with cables strung between pillars at the ends carrying the load. The structure is the first building ever made to use catenary support. In 1997 the Federal Reserve moved across the street and now occupies former Minneapolis Great Northern Depot site adjacent to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. The new Central Library , designed by Cesar Pelli and built on the site of the old library opened to the public on May 20, 2006. The library features a host of energy-efficient measures, including a roof garden and substantial daylight. Minneapolitans will probably always lament the destruction of Bridge Square and their beloved Metropolitan Building. Even the old skid row on Washington seems to be the source of some nostalgia. The good news is over the past couple decades the city stopped tearing everything down and put a great deal of effort into preserving the old Milwaukee Road Depot and renovating of what might be the worlds only catenary supported structure. The old Gateway still has a few to many parking lots, but Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak has proposed a park, trees and a 10 year action plan for Washington Avenue and things have never looked better on this side of the river!
GATEWAY (1999) 16mm, ten minutes. A documentary film noir portrait of the total destruction of one notorious inner city neighborhood frequented by the homeless and targeted by “urban renewal’. Written, co-produced, directed and edited by Tim Schwab. Co-produced by Christina Craton. *Big Muddy Film Festival, Southern Illinois University, 2001
*International Competition, Cinéma du Réel, Le Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris 2000
*International Festival of Films on Art, Montréal, 2000
*Encontros Internacionais de Cinema Documental, Portugal, 1999
