Central Corridor light rail station art concepts:
29th Avenue, 10th Street and Capitol East stations
Janet Lofquist
Janet Lofquist
History, ice palaces inspire Lofquist
29th Avenue Station
The artist presented three options for this station’s theme:
- Historical timeline of agriculture, rail transportation, manufacturing and architecture
- Neighborhood history of decorative arts
- Witch’s Hat water tower in Tower Park
Materials proposed: For options 1 and 2, she is proposing inlays into platform pavement brick; steel, stone or sandblasted or stamped pattern concrete; or portions of the columns cast iron or Cor-ten steel, possibly in conjunction with concrete. Both would be in more earth-tone colors. For option 3, she proposes a knitted witch’s hat and column sleeves (knitted by neighbors/Textile Center members) cast into bronze or iron and attached to electrical/communication cabinet (hat) or columns (sleeve).
Capitol East Station
The artist presented two options for a theme: the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palaces and the forgotten Central Park.
Lofquist takes as inspiration the 1887 Winter Carnival Ice Palace arch, pictured above, for a proposed design for the Capitol East and Tenth Street stations. See design conception, below. (Above photo courtesy Minnesota Historical Society.).
Lofquist was inspired by the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palaces, four of which were built in the vicinity of this station (1886, 1887, 1888 and 1937). She selected a fragment of this “architectural” history – the grand arch from the 1887 ice castle, with its reference to a Romanesque triumphal arch.
And in recalling the former Central Park at this location, its canopy of American elm trees would provide the inspiration for falling leaves on the station columns. The leaves would allude to all things in a state of change, whether it is history, politics or nature.
Materials proposed: For ice palaces, glass/stone mosaic on walls or electrical/communication cabinets in black and white with ranges of gray, center of arch color of fireworks. For the forgotten park, glass/stone mosaic on columns in burnt red/yellow ochre colors. If budget allows, text sandblasted into platform or laser-cut metal inlaid in platform.
Tenth Street Station
The artist presented two options for a theme: the St. Paul Winter Carnival ice palaces and the Glacial River Warren Falls. The Glacial River Warren Falls concept is based on the geological history of the station area. About 12,000 years ago, the combined waters of the Glacial River Warren (approximate course of the Minnesota River) and the Mississippi River flowed from Fort Snelling to St. Paul. As the waters entered an old valley, they formed a huge waterfall, extending from the area of Tenth and Cedar streets to the height at the south of the Robert Street bridge, along a line to the west of where the bridge stands.
Lofquist's station design concept for the Capitol East and Tenth Street stations, based on St. Paul's historic ice castles.
Materials proposed: For ice palaces, glass/stone mosaic on walls or electrical/communication cabinets in black and white with ranges of gray; center of arch the color of fireworks. For the glacial river, flowing water and frozen waterfall patterns made out of glass and stone would be combined on electrical/communication cabinets, or just flowing water patterns made out of glass and stone would be inset on the electrical/communication cabinets. A frozen waterfall image would be created on the shelter infill panels. The water image will be largely black and white, with possible inclusions of deep blue. The frozen waterfall will be shades of blue.