University of Minnesota

Minneapolis

When originally built in 1851, the Minneapolis campus overlooked the Saint Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River, but it was later moved about a mile downstream to its current location. That site is now marked by a small park known as Chute Square at the intersection of University Avenue and Central Avenue. The school shut down following a financial crisis during the American Civil War, and didn't reopen until 1867. It was upgraded from a preparatory school to a college in 1869.

Related Topics:
1851 - Saint Anthony Falls - Mississippi River - Chute Square - American Civil War - 1867 - Preparatory school - College - 1869

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Today's campus has buildings on both banks of the river, but the East Bank is the main portion of the campus and covers 307 acres. It contains six residence halls (the University administration believes the terms "dorm" and "dormitory" have negative connotations), and four of them are concentrated into a 4-city-block space known as the "Superblock." Next to the Superblock is a large medical complex, now merged with the Fairview system of clinics and hospitals.

Related Topics:
Acre - Residence hall - Medical - Fairview

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The historical center of the Minneapolis campus is Northrop Mall, a green space located about four blocks away from the Superblock. It was based on a design by Cass Gilbert, although his plans were too extravagant to be fully implemented. Several of the campus's primary buildings surround the Mall. Northrop Auditorium provides a northern anchor, with Coffman Memorial Union to the south. Four of the larger buildings on the sides of the Mall are the primary mathematics, physics, and chemistry buildings, and Walter Library, which has recently been renovated to focus more on digital media rather than the printed word.

Related Topics:
Cass Gilbert - Coffman Memorial Union - Mathematics - Physics - Chemistry - Digital media

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Additionally, the East Bank has a few buildings with unique architecture worth mentioning. The Armory north east of the Northrop Mall is built like a Norman castle, with a sally port entrance facing Church St., and a tower originally intended to be the Professor of Military Science's residence, until it was found to be too cold. It originally held the athletics department as well as the military science classes that it now holds. One of the oldest buildings on campus is the Pillsbury Hall, built out of varieties of sandstone available in Minnesota. It has a unique color that is hard to capture in a photograph. In more recent times, Frank Gehry designed the Weisman Art Museum. It is a small example of his work with curving metallic structures.

Related Topics:
Architecture - Armory - Sally port - Frank Gehry - Weisman Art Museum

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The West Bank of the campus has been growing rapidly, first seeing major development in the 1960s. It covers 53 acres. Music, theater, and art students cannot pass through the University without spending a significant amount of time there. In addition to the arts, social science is a big area of research on the West Bank. The business school (Carlson School of Management) calls the West Bank home, as does the University's law school. Wilson Library, the largest library in the University system, is also located there. Visitors to the West Bank will no doubt notice Middlebrook Hall, the largest residence hall on campus. Approximately 900 students reside in the building named in honor of William T. Middlebrook.

Related Topics:
1960s - Music - Theater - Art - Carlson School of Management - Law school - William T. Middlebrook

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Students traveling between the East and West Banks will most likely use the Washington Avenue Bridge either on foot or via bus. This bridge is unique because it has two separate decks. The lower deck carries automobile traffic, while the upper deck is a pedestrian walkway. An enclosed walkway runs the length of the bridge, sheltering students from the wind, rain, and snow as they cross the Mississippi.

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There are some subterranean passageways that students use to get from building to building when the weather is harsh. It is an ungainly network of circuitous routes that are confusing and don't always connect. Many people don't even know they exist. However, in recent years, effort has been made to map out these tunnels, and directions are now marked with signs reading, "The Gopher Way".

Related Topics:
Subterranean passageways - The Gopher Way

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The Minneapolis campus is located near two interstate highways: I-94 and I-35W. It is bordered on the north by the Dinkytown neighborhood and by the Stadium Village neighborhood on the east.

Related Topics:
Interstate highway - I-94 - I-35W - Dinkytown

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