For several years in the 80’s, Minneapolis Schools had an aggressive restoration program of its older buildings. This was especially true in SE Mpls. where the District experimented with assigning a range of four Programs to different buildings. Tuttle School in the SE Como Neighborhood was large enough to accommodate two programs, Traditional and Open. The three story structure housed Traditional on its “Lower” (sub Basement) level and Open on its Second. On the First Floor, we placed Administration, Theater, Art, etc., the shared spaces.

 

The District asked us to add a modern gym but said we couldn’t build anything else outside the existing footprint. Gym ceilings are over twenty feet high so to lessen its impact on the surrounding story and a half homes, we buried the Gym floor down at the Lower Level. Designing new spaces within the existing school’s shell, we converted the old Gym into new uses on all three levels.

 

We opened up the Gym’s old ceiling and exposed the roof’s steel trusses. With that extra sense of space, we were able to create a shared Media Center on the second Floor. The First Floor/Main Level became a one hundred person theater with carpeted row seating. The floor was sloped down into the former Boiler Room which had a very high ceiling. We installed the new boiler on one side of that space and created a Ceramics Studio in the remainder, just opposite to the Gym entrance on that level.

 

We had the same success with the shared Art Room. The School had a major classroom addition on one side. On the windowless inside corner was a large, empty air shaft. Without changing the School’s footprint , we created a heavy timber, multileveled Art Room within the space. The wide steps at the base were for instruction. Circling up through the space were  open work areas for drawing, weaving/thread, and painting. A large skylight crowned the space. “But, no extra square footage!” we were able to  report to Physical Plant Head Jim Clubb.

 

We had to convince Jim of another feature we very much wanted to include, Rolling Exterior Shutters. The existing school had large, high, classroom windows, great for letting in natural light and a distinctive existing feature. However, to shade the rooms from sun and for blacking out for audio visual presentations, each space had two sets of awkward paper shades. In addition, in Winter, the radiating glass made the rooms cold for the desk bound kids.

 

Years before, we had used rolling exterior shutters on the first phase  of the Ronald McDonald House in Mpls. It had been mostly for darkening rooms so weary parents could sleep during the day. But it also turned out that when down, the shutters had an insulating value equal to a second thermal paned window. Plus, they allowed the inboard window system to remain room temperature and not radiate cold.

 

Jim Clubb was hard to convince. Finally, we found a school district in North Ogden, UT that had several buildings with shutters. We connected Jim with their Superintendent and the shutters were approved! Kids fought to be assigned ’Shutter Duty” and staff loved them. Down, they signaled School’s over (eyes closed), open they announced a new day, open up!

 

Unfortunately, Minneapolis Schools are/were one of the few State entities that required open bidding - no pre-qualification of construction companies. R.O. Westlund was a firm that notoriously underbid projects, securing the contract, and then demanding Change Orders for the slightest ambiguity. Fred Kirschmann was my excellent Associate on the project. The first day of construction Fred and I went to the site to meet Westlund’s Foreman, Ron Newuar. With a broad smile, Ron said “We’ve examined your Construction Documents and we’re going to generate 10% Change Orders from your mistakes”. As we walked away, I said “Fred, we’re going to hold them to 2% if it’s the last thing I do.”

 

As the project wore on, there were constant battles over changes and costs. Fred was the champion in one confrontation in particular. There were Lolly columns (adjustable, temporary support steel columns) buried in the existing Bathroom concrete block walls on several levels. We had no way of knowing that they were there and had planned to reassign and rework the spaces. Westlund wanted ten hours’ pay for removing the columns. As we left the Office to meet over this issue, I noticed Fred was carrying a large crescent wrench. I didn’t ask but had a hunch. The meeting was typical with Ron and I going at it about what was required. It was a strange meeting. Junior Westlund (a family priest!) stood silently by wearing his collar (Perhaps to show that God was with them?!). Fred slipped away at one point but reappeared fifteen minutes later. “Fred” I asked with a smile, “Where have you been?” “I’ve taken the all the columns down” Fred said “So now, you’ve got nine hours and forty five minutes to carry them out of the Building”. And so it went. In the end, this complex project did require 2% Change Orders, but shortly after its completion, R.O. Westlund went out of business.