Speaking of CIB Proposals...

Now that the CIB proposal for Margaret Rec Center is submitted, I'm trying to grasp the full history of not only the current building, but also the original rec center and playground. Most of what I know is undocumented, culled from the memories of long-time residents and city employees. 

Here's what she looks like now.

http://www.stpaul.gov/facilities.asp?pagenum=5&RID=136&Page=detail

She's a beaut, aint she? I think what I love most about that picture is not the architectural beauty of the entrance, but the two bikes lying on the ground, blocking the front doors.

This building was constructed in 1982, in the wake of the oil crisis of the 1970s. The architects intended it to be trendsetter in environmentally-friendly design--a building with a small energy footprint. Those plans went horribly wrong at some point, and we're trying to figure out how and why. We'll keep you updated.

In the years before our beloved bunker was erected, the park site was home to the original Margaret Recreation Center--a fine-looking and sturdy building--and the Sibley School.

Here's the old rec center as seen in the Minnesota Historical Society's archives:

Hmmm. Just looking at that makes me want to demolish it and rebuild it into a hill.

In case your depression wasn't low enough yet, here are a few shots of the Sibley School:

Sibley School on Frank and Margaret, St. Paul

Photograph Collection ca. 1900

1966, different view of Sibley School

We'll be trying to track what happened in the years between these pictures. Keep your rabbit-ears-hooked-up-to-an-HD-converter-box-that-you-got-30-bucks-off-of-from-the-feds tuned in.