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Beauty in History: Granite Renovates MemorialInsight

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Granite Renovation PlanLed by the Victory Memorial Drive Task Force, this renovation of Victory Memorial Drive is a collaboration between Hennepin County, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis. The $6 million project received $1.7 million in state bonding.

The renovation began with building a new flag plaza paved with granite. The flag plaza includes granite balustrade walls, a granite flag base and benches, and new plantings and lighting. Crews also installed new, large granite gateway monuments at the entrances to Victory Memorial Drive.

Renovating the memorial was a challenge for landscape architect Jason Aune from LHB. With Victory Memorial Drive’s historic status it was essential to respect history, yet Aune wanted to use a modern twist to the telling of WWI.

The new design had to use materials that would last 100 years. “We knew granite would be the main material from the beginning because of its longevity,” said Aune. The granite also had to be a different color than the original used, in order to preserve the integrity of the original work. “The historic process dictates that you can’t copy what is already there, you must use something new,” said Aune. The area’s historic status also dictated using

a material native to Minnesota. The Lake Superior Green granite supplied by Cold Spring Granite was quarried in Isabella, Minnesota, meeting the native material requirement.

Aune chose Lake Superior Green granite, a dark green granite for the project. “We wanted to pick granite that would accentuate the text,” said Aune. “We also wanted to be a little different and a little modern.”

For the memorial, more than 4,500 square feet of Lake Superior Green granite was used for the flagpole base, benches, walls, gateway monuments, and circle markers and benches. Several finish options, including thermal, polish and rock pitch were used on the Lake Superior Green to achieve the desired look. More than 4,600 square feet of Carnelian, with red-brown waves throughout the stone, in a thermal finish was used for paving the 80-foot-diameter plaza. Additionally, more than 150 square feet of Sierra White, a white granite with black graining, was incorporated into the plaza surface to create contrast. When the shadow from the flagpole hits the white granite, the effect symbolizes the peace of Armistice Day. Radiant Red, a bright red granite, was used on the service banners on the gateway monuments.

Design ChallengesAune stayed with the circle plaza design and added an additional challenge: he didn’t want a single square corner in the whole design. “Everything is radial or circular,” he said. “It’s challenging from a design, production and fabrication

perspective.”

Aune found Cold Spring Granite quite helpful during the process. “We engaged them right away and they were very helpful, especially in the beginning of the project,” said Aune.

Beauty in History: Granite Renovates Memorial

Recognized as the largest war memorial in the Twin Cities, Victory Memorial Drive commemorates fallen soldiers and nurses from Hennepin County that served in World War I. The beautifully landscaped, tree-lined boulevard is part of the Grand Rounds, a 50-mile tour of parkways and parks around Minneapolis. A striking tribute, the names of 568 men and women from Hennepin County who died in the war are inscribed on bronze crosses and stars. According to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the memorial was visited by General John Pershing and Marshal Ferdinand Foch, the French commander of Allied forces during the war, and they expressed their admiration for the living memorial. Preserving this historic place and restoring it for enjoyment by future generations was important for leaders in Hennepin County.

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“It was a tremendous experience. They’re good people to work with.”

The granite balustrades around the plaza are an unusual design that required close collaboration with Cold Spring Granite. Originally, the public wanted a statue of a soldier in the memorial area. Aune convinced them of a modern alternative to a statue. Each balustrade appears to be a fancy spindle, but the white space in between each spindle (the negative relief image) looks like the head of a soldier. The “dough boy balustrades,” as they were called, involved precise and controlled production work using AutoCAD imaging and automated machining. In the end, there were 66 balustrades created, 44 for the plaza and 11 for each side of the entry gateway. The final effect is dramatic and sobering.

Aune found that Cold Spring Granite had the knowledge, experience and equipment needed to complete his complicated designs. Additionally, Cold Spring Granite worked with Aune upfront on the design and construction parameters, even including a mock-up to present to the public, to help the process flow smoothly.

”We were also able to tour Cold Spring Granite’s facilities while they were making the pieces, which was incredible,” said Aune.

Refinishing Bronze PlaquesAnother intricate and crucial part of the renovation was refurbishing 10 original bronze plaques. The plaques all have different historical purposes: four of the plaques contain the names of the servicemen from Hennepin County that died in the war; one plaque is a letter from General Pershing; another plaque is a letter from Allied Supreme Commander Foch; three contain the Preamble to the American Legion Constitution; and the final one is a dedication plaque. In addition, there are 10 original crosses from 1921 that were refurbished, which represent the “Grand Army of the Republic.”

Memorial Updates Change is not new to this memorial as over the years many transitions have occurred:

• The original wooden flagpole was replaced by a bronze pole in 1923.

• The 516 wooden markers, intended to only be temporary, were replaced with bronze markers in the form of crosses for Christian soldiers and stars of David for Jewish soldiers.

• A bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln was donated in 1929. • Granite walls and plaques were added in 1948. • In 1954 the commemorative crosses and stars were set in the

ground to avoid damage and pilfering.

The TeamLandscape Architect: Jason Aune, LHB Corp, Minneapolis, Minn

Granite Supplier and Fabricator: Cold Spring Granite, Inc., Cold Spring, Minn.

General Contractor: Mike Klun, Sheehy Construction, St. Paul, Minn.

Granite Installer: Tim Christopherson, CD Tile & Stone, Minneapolis, Minn.

Engineer, Dean Michalko, Hennepin County Community Works

Engineer, Chad Seaman, Stonebrooke Engineering

Victory Memorial Drive Task Force (2007-2010): Mike Opat, Chair, Hennepin County Board

Mark Stenglein, Chair, Hennepin County Board

Linda Higgins, State Senator

Ann Rest, State Senator

Lyndon Carlson, State Representative

Joe Mullery, State Representative

Pat Schon, Veterans’ Representative

Steve Fiscus, Veterans’ Representative

Barb Johnson, President, Minneapolis City Council

“We engaged Cold Spring Granite right away and they were very helpful, especially in the beginning of the project,” said Aune. “It was a tremendous experience. They’re good people to work with.”

Beauty in History: Granite Renovates MemorialInsight

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To ensure the architect was comfortable with the refurbishing process, Cold Spring Granite’s Bronze Foundry presented him with various finish options to consider and supplied him with actual plaque and cross replications. Aune was able to choose a look that is true to this historic monument and

blends well with the new materials. “Cold Spring Granite’s Bronze Foundry is the very best around at refurbishing bronze,” said Aune.

A patina finish, which oxidizes and highlights the surface of the bronze, was chosen for the crosses and stars. The plaques were painted dark, and then buffed to expose and highlight the bronze lettering.

With Victory Memorial Drive, the repair work was more extensive than normal. The plaques all needed a new mounting system and required repair from the stress of removal from the previous location. And, even though some of the crosses were cracked, Cold Spring Granite was able to carefully maintain the historic quality while making any repairs.

Bringing It All TogetherThe final dramatic effect is a strip in the granite floor of the plaza that represents Armistice Day – November 11th. At the eleventh hour on that day, a shadow from the flagpole falls across the granite strip, perfectly intersecting it. Bronze inlayed letters on the granite pavers state “Armistice Day, 11th Hour, 11th Day, 11th Month.”

After months of detailed work on the plaza, the re-dedication occurred 90 years to the day of the dedication of the first memorial. On that original date, June 11, 1921, more than 30,000 people lined the route of Victory Memorial Drive to witness the dedication ceremonies. On June 11 of this year, crowds lined up to re-dedicate the new granite memorial as an arresting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI.

GreenBuild International Conference & ExpoBooth # 5654S Oct. 4-7, 2011 Toronto, Canada

American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)Booth # 1251 Oct. 30 - Nov. 2, 2011 San Diego, CA

17482 Granite West Road Cold Spring, MN 56320-4578

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