Bob CollinsIf not for Richard Faricy, St. Paul might be known for the bland, ’70s-style square bunkers that dominate some capital cities (we’re looking at you, Centennial Building) in the “urban renewal” concepts of the ’70s.
Faricy, an architect, died on Saturday, the Pioneer Press reports.
There are worst things to be remembered for than as the man who made this possible.
Faricy worked on the restoration of Saint Paul’s Landmark Center in the ’70s, which was saved from destruction in what would’ve been an everlasting “what on earth were they thinking?” moment for the city.
“That was really a seminal project. It set off the whole preservation movement in St. Paul,” said former Pioneer Press architecture critic Larry Millett “There really was no significant preservation movement in St. Paul or Minneapolis until that time.”
