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Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission approves Winslow House solarium replacement and pergola
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Summary
The commission voted unanimously to approve a preservation application to replace a defective 1980 solarium and add a pergola at Winslow House in the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District, with a condition limiting soffit materials to avoid imitation wood finishes.
The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission on March 24 approved a commission preservation application to replace an existing solarium and add a pergola at Winslow House, a 1980 high-rise condominium in the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District.
Erin Kaye, senior city planner in the historic preservation subsection of the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development, told commissioners the building is a non-contributing resource because it postdates the historic district's period of significance. Staff found the proposed solarium and pergola generally compatible with the building and district but flagged one exception: the applicant originally proposed 4-foot-deep soffits clad with prefinished “wood-look” aluminum panels. Kaye said staff recommended a condition to avoid materials that imitate other materials and suggested painted metal panels as an alternative.
The applicant, Zachary Lesson, general contractor with Construct All Corporation, described the existing solarium as a mass-produced kit installed after construction, with failed seals and poor thermal performance. Lesson said the proposed solarium would match the current footprint (about 13 feet by 26 feet 5 inches) while the soffits would project beyond that footprint, and that the pergola dimensions are 14 feet by 17 feet. He told the commission, “we will revise our design to simply use a metal painted panel for those soffits.”
Commissioners who spoke said the building’s non-contributing status and the applicant’s explanation that the solarium was a later addition weighed in favor of approval. Commissioner Alexander said he had “no reservations supporting the new design” after noting common durability problems with older solaria. Commissioner Melblum said learning the solarium was not original to the building was “hugely helpful” and signaled less concern about the proposed design.
Commissioner Booty moved to approve the application subject to the condition in the agenda; Commissioner Wallace seconded. The clerk conducted a roll-call vote and the motion passed with nine ayes and no recorded no votes or abstentions. Chair Marie Bjornberg announced the motion passed and closed the item.
The commission’s action authorizes the replacement of the Winslow House solarium with the proposed design and the addition of the pergola, subject to the condition limiting soffit materials to non-imitation metal (painted metal panels). The public hearing for the item concluded at the meeting; the commission also noted the applicant had addressed public comments about design differences from the earlier feature on the building.
