Books make the neighborhood

It's often the case that a new idea or, in this case, a building, will be vaunted about and then forgotten. Even in its own neighborhood, a place that started a trend may not be given the credit it should 10 years afterwards. So it was particularly wonderful to see this article in the NYTimes yesterday on Open Book, the building in Minneapolis that houses the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, The Loft and Milkweed Publishing. The building won numerous awards for the architect when it opened and they were well-deserved. I visit the building at least once a week for lunch, to work, to teach or to take classes and it still works without a whisper of complaint (well, ok, it's impossible to find parking during a Twins game, but that's really all).