Minnesota Modern Masters Oral History Project, Phase 3

The project has met its intended outcomes with the following products, all of which will be archived in the Northwest Architectural Archives (NAA) at the University of Minnesota.

A. Eight full-length unedited HD video interviews/oral histories with the following Minnesota architects and educators:

1. Vincent James, FAIA and Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, of VJAA architects. The firm, Vincent James Associates Architects, was founded in 1995 and was named National AIA Architecture Firm of the Year in 2012. Vincent and Jennifer are both Minnesota-born and children of academics. Writing and teaching have been important parts of their architectural careers. Significant award-winning commissions include the St. John's Abbey Chapter House and Chapel in Collegeville, MN; the Bruce and Judy Dayton house overlooking Lake of the Isles; the Rowing Club boathouse in Minneapolis; and the Charles Hostler student center at Tulane University.

2. John Lackens, FAIA, and Herb Ketcham, FAIA. After working at Cerny Associates, they founded the Architectural Alliance in 1970 with Bob Bell, based on a model inspired by the Bauhaus. The firm designed several corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities, including Land O'Lakes, which earned a 25-Year Award from AIA-MN, and developed a specialty in aviation architecture, starting with MSP, which has become a major part of the firm's work today. Herb and John developed an innovative fee structure and are proud of the transfer of ownership in the firm that has fostered new leadership.

3. Leonard Parker, FAIA, and AIA-MN Gold Medal winner, was born in Poland. His family escaped to the US in 1923 and Leonard grew up in Milwaukee, WI. A bicycle trip to Racine to see the Johnson's Wax headquarters, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, convinced Leonard that he wanted to become an architect. He was working for Eero Saarinen when he founded his own office, Leonard Parker Associates, in 1959 in Minneapolis. Important commissions include the Minnesota Judicial Building, the U of M Law School, and the Jewish Community Center in St. Paul. Leonard played a significant role in the creation of the Minnesota State Designer Selection Board. This was a posthumous interview with Francis Bulbulian, FAIA, and Gary Mahaffey, FAIA, partners in Leonard Parker Associates; and Aaron Parker, architect and Leonard's son.

4. Joan Soranno, FAIA, a design principal at HGA; and John Cook, FAIA, a senior project architect at HGA, together established a small in-house design studio within HGA that serves as an incubator for innovative design. The Lakewood Cemetery Garden Mausoleum and a new entrance pavilion for the Walker Art Museum are examples of their work. In the interview they speak of their complementary skills and how their collaborations work.

5. Dennis Sun Rhodes, Northern Arapahoe, founder of AmerINDIAN Architecture, grew up on the Wild River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. He is one of a very few Native American architects in the nation. Dennis brought Native American cultural identity and symbolism to the design of schools, colleges, public administration buildings and casinos. This interview included Dan Feidt, AIA, a co-founder with Dennis of AmerINDIAN and Great Horse architecture firms.

6. Edward Sovik, FAIA, was a towering figure in post-war church architecture and founder of SMSQ Architects in Northfield. Born and raised in China, the son of a missionary, Sovik believed church architecture should not be entrenched in the past, but reflective of contemporary life. This was a posthumous interview with Gary Johnson, AIA, and Pepe Kryzda, AIA.

7. Beverly Hauschild-Baron, Honorary AIA, was Executive Vice President of AIA-MN for more than 30 years. From this unique perspective, Beverly provided valuable insight into the profession of architecture and the many initiatives and causes in which Minnesota architects have been involved, as well as how the profession has changed over the years.

8. Val Michelson, FAIA, Russian born and trained architect, prisoner of war escapee, Michelson narrowly made it to the West. For Marcel Breuer, he supervised the complex construction of St. John's Abbey Church in Collegeville, and later founded his own firm, Val Michelson and Associates. This was a posthumous interview with John Yust, AIA, David Bowers, AIA, and Daniel Feidt, AIA.

B. Eight edited 10-15 minute summary versions of each interview suitable for online viewing and public presentations. Each short version includes highlights of the full interview, enhanced with additional photography and graphics. They are produced at a professional level with custom lighting and sound recording. They are also available through MNSAH's website: http://www.mnsah.org/programs/modern-masters; and through MNSAH's Vimeo site: https://vimeo.com/mnsah. Northwest Architectural Archives will be the permanent home to edited and uncut digital videos of the interviews along with full transcripts.

C. Full written transcripts of each interview for the historical record. To be available online from the MNSAH website and at the Northwest Architectural Archives. Copies are attached to this report.

D. Presentation. A presentation of phase three of the project was given at the Annual Convention of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-MN), November 15, 2019. There were roughly 250 attendees. A report was also given to the MNSAH membership,

E. MNSAH-Minnesota Modern Masters (MMM) has been given a Special Award from AIA-MN. Tom Fisher, Professor and Director of the Minnesota Design Center at the U of MN, described MMM as "one of the most important archival projects ever attempted in the history of Minnesota's architecture." He further observed that through its documentation of Minnesota's leading architects, educators, and journalists, the MMM program underscores the important truth that "buildings are not just created for people; they are also created by people and we can never fully understand the ideas that drive our architecture without also comprehending the ideas of the people who designed or critiqued it." A copy of the full letter is attached to this report.