Instrumental in sparking the nation’s regional theater movement and regarded as America’s flagship theater, The Guthrie Theater has consistently maintained its mission of artistic excellence since 1963.

Today, the theater and its audience have outgrown the current facility. The Guthrie Theater’s desire to expand was geographically limited at its existing site due to the adjacent Walker Art Center. The Theater decided to relocate and provide their former space to the Walker Art Center.

Braun Intertec assisted the Minneapolis Community Development Agency in evaluating the suitability of constructing the Theater at a Brownfield Site along the Minneapolis riverfront between West River Road and Second Street South.

Challenges

The environmental and geotechnical evaluation of the site included numerous previous structures on the site. Specifically, old grain elevators and railroad facilities had left their mark both geotechnically and environmentally.

Geotechnical design obstacles included construction of the building over a sixty-foot tunnel used to connect existing and former grain elevators. A foundation system was needed to resist the overturning forces of a 170-foot long cantilevered walkway, called the "endless bridge", that will extend towards the Mississippi River and hang above West River Road.

Solutions

After the evaluation of the site, we were hired by the Guthrie Theater, by way of the Keewaydin Group, to perform environmental, special inspection and material testing services during construction. Vibration monitoring was also performed to help prevent damaging vibrations to adjacent historic and sensitive structures.

The complexity of the site and design features required a skilled team effort consisting of testing and inspection experts. The new Guthrie Theater will make a strong architectural statement and significantly add to the development of the riverfront area.

Those who envisioned the project went to great lengths to select the best possible site for this important addition to the cultural landscape of the Minnesota. This same effort and care was used when selecting a design and construction team.