Paul Madson

Paul Madson (October 13, 1950 - June 12, 2001) was a Minneapolis architect who died of a heart attack June 12 at age 50. Madson was not one to trumpet his achievements. Madson and his four-person firm, Paul Madson & Associates, probably have designed more housing of more types than any other Twin Cities firm, from single-room efficiencies for recovering alcoholics to high-end lofts on the Mississippi riverfront.

The thousands of units have provided affordable housing, in-fill housing in older neighborhoods, and new housing to help keep cities competitive with the suburbs. Whether renovating old buildings or designing new ones, Madson's trademark was an anti-trademark: make it fit into its context.

Dark brick, strong simple forms and iron fences help Lourdes Square and the Marquette Townhomes fit into their historic neighborhoods on the Mississippi River's East Bank. Gabled roofs, wood siding and front porches make the Harriet Square townhouses a comfortable addition to south Minneapolis. A flat roof and pared-down aesthetic make the Creamette apartment building the most understated of the new buildings in Minneapolis' north riverfront near the Itasca condominiums.

Madson's longtime partner, Kim Bretheim, said that some people criticize the Creamette building for its industrial aesthetic and prefer the more elaborate forms of the turretted Heritage Landing and homey red-brick RiverStation townhouses across N. 1st St. "We were trying to avoid traditional [residential] forms in the Warehouse District" (North Loop), Bretheim said, adding that they aim to avoid cuteness.

The firm's housing ranges from affordable townhouses for the Dakota County Community Development Agency to new condominiums north of St. Paul's Lowertown. (The firm also designed the award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune.)

Two Minneapolis projects demonstrate the firm's impact on large swaths of the city.

On the Mississippi River's West Bank, the firm is helping shape the new neighborhood upriver from the proposed Guthrie Theater. In a two-block area between Washington Avenue and W. River Pkwy. the firm has designed a string of buildings for Brighton Development, for which it has designed 37 projects.

The first three are the pioneering loft buildings—the renovation of the old North Star Blanket building at Portland Av. and W. River Pkwy., which kicked off the trend to riverfront living; the current renovation of the challenging Washburn Utility Building (Washburn A Mill), and the design of the recently completed Stone Arch Lofts.

The Stone Arch building illustrates the firm's understated approach. The building's rectangular shape, strong proportions and yellow brick recall the design of existing buildings. The flat roof lets the rooflines of the historic buildings dominate. Steel balconies add a dynamic touch. It is perfectly at home among its neighbors but doesn't mimic the historic buildings (Although some people swear it's old, said Peggy Lucas, a Brighton partner.)

The firm is working with Julie Snow Architects on a new condominium building that will rise next to the Humboldt Mill nearby on S. 2nd St. and is designing townhouses and apartments for the two blocks between S. 2nd St. and Washington Avenue S.

Not counting the Humboldt Mill project, for which Snow is the lead designer, Madson's firm will design more than 300 units in an area that was derelict only five years ago.

The firm's City Homes on Park for Phillips Park Initiative is also transforming a neighborhood, this one in south Minneapolis. So far, Madson's firm has renovated three down-at-the heels mansions into seven crisp condominiums and designed new townhouses and carriage houses on the blocks between 24th and 25th Streets and Portland and Chicago Avenues.

The two new townhouses on Portland have brick facades to help them blend in with the older mansions, while the other townhouses have vinyl siding. Unlike the designs for the Warehouse District, these feature gable roofs, front porches and traditional residential forms. "The idea is to reinforce the street and sidewalk," Bretheim said. In mid-block, a commons with a gazebo replaces a demolished crack house. Phase two, which will continue the neighborhood's improvement, is being designed now.

"Madson really understood urban space," Lucas said. She said a stairway near the Stone Arch Lofts to the Mississippi riverfront will memorialize Madson's legacy.