Yesterday, I looked at the Stone Arch Bridge, the centerpiece of Minneapolis’s revitalized riverfront in the center of the city. The St. Anthony Falls brought industry to the area, using the water to power mills. Many of the mills are still here, even if some have fallen into ruin.

Instead of viewing the buildings as liabilities, architects designed new buildings around and inside of the ruins, creating fascinating hybrids.

Likewise, buildings that existed no higher than their foundations were left behind as well.

Old mill races, where water once flowed through turbines, have been left intact, though obviously fenced off for safety, to again give visitors a sense of the history of the area.

Looking more closely at the ruined mill, we see that it has been stabilized, and the in-fill building has been creatively and ingeniously built around it.

There is also a very well done memorial to the victims of the 35W bridge collapse, which happened just to the east of this spot on the Mississippi River.