Psst. Want to buy a bridge? A pedestrian bridge, that is. A Minneapolis architectural firm is selling a used skyway on Craigslist. The ad suggests some possible uses for the 1,380 square foot rectangular space, including a cabin, office, yoga studio or vendor booth at the State Fair.
As a cabin, the glass-encased structure could have 2 bedrooms, a reading room, full bath, kitchen, dining area -- and still have a 40-foot living room. And just imagine the views!
In case you can't quite picture that, the skilled architects at City Desk Studio, created some computer-generated renderings for the space (right and below), which can be yours for a mere $49,500, discounted from $79,500."We see it as a good opportunity to redevelop it as a small structure," architect Christian Dean told HousingWatch. "We looked at a lot of ideas for it." As a cabin transplanted to Minnesota's North Shore on Lake Superior, several people might even consider a fractional ownership, taking turns relaxing there four weeks a year, he says.
Although the price seems like a steal, but buyers are responsible for removing and transporting the 140-ton steel and glass structure. Just trucking it to the North Shore, for example, might cost around $65,000, Dean figures, so moving it out of state might be costly. Then again, the current resting place of the 83-foot-long skyway is on leased ground behind TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota, which sits along the Mississippi River. Put it on a barge and you just might be able to float it down to Mexico relatively inexpensively, suggests blogger Greg Allen.
The firm's partners, graduates of the the University of Minnesota, bought it from the university in 2005 for "not much" at a blind auction, with the hopes of developing it into a tranquil park escape, Dean says.
Built in 1978, the structure originally connected a downtown JC Penny's store with the Power department stores. It was retired to make way for Minneapolis' light rail project. Minneapolis is well known for its skyways, which cover 69 city blocks and comprise the largest continuous skyway network in the world. "We are motivated to find a home for it," Dean says.
Buyers, step up. Who knows when you'll get another chance. After all, as the ad says: "This opportunity will not pass this way again!!!" Then again, this is their fourth attempt at trying to unload it, reported the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
