Landmark 70s-era UMN-Duluth student housing to be demolished
The University of Minnesota - Duluth is set to demolish an iconic student residence complex next month.
When the Stadium Apartments were built in 1972, they offered the first apartment-style student living in Duluth.
University demolition project manager John Kessler says they remained popular years later with their two-story apartment layout, spiral staircases and views of the stadium.
Some apartments kept a 1970s feel with burnt-orange laminated countertops and avocado-green fixtures.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
"And it was all glass windows," Kessler said, "and so they were very highly sought after rooms to get in -- because of the volume of space."
Former resident Katarina Menze, an English junior from Starbuck, said she could keep up with games by reading the scoreboard from her window.
"It was a beautiful view," she said.
Recent graduate Madiha Mirza of Pakistan said the apartments reminded her of the image of American living projected back home.
"The spiral staircase -- everyone loved it," she said, "It felt just like something out of a Hollywood movie."
Kessler said the university says it's tearing down the buildings because it would be too costly to bring them up to code.
Officials haven't decided what will take their place, but Kessler said the space could contain a park.
The apartments officially shut down last year. To compensate, the university built Ianni Hall in 2011, and an increasing number of students are finding rooms off campus, he said.