When light rail went into Minneapolis a few years back, a skyway - the enclosed metal portal between two buildings - had to be taken down. Now it’s for sale.

The architecture firm that owns it threw on Craig’s List for around $80K. They claim you could use it as a yoga studio or wine bar. It could also be a killer addition to your home - can you imagine the plants you could grow there? I personally love this idea.

Here’s the link should you be dreaming of a new Florida room for your home: http://www.startribune.com/local/38061639.html

The Chicago Tribune released a list of 8 trends for real estate this year and the one that rang home for me was a movement towards “less is more” in square footage of homes.

The paper claimed that home builders are predicting a continued movement toward smaller homes, with many buyers opting for less square footage. This doesn’t mean austere in any way however as people are taking the cash they save on a smaller home and pouring it into amenities. Home buyers are looking for quality over quantity.

I know my Realtor Tom and I were discussing that the problem with a big house is that one must then FURNISH a big house - not to mention clean it.

And heat it, too. An offshoot of the smaller home trend is energy efficiency. Even in these tough times, the green movement is pushing on as buyers seek bette-than-EnergyStar appliances and the like.

 A great read on the subject of smaller homes was written by Twin City native Susan Susanka. “The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live,” was a huge hit when it came out a decade ago and the architect author continues to write on the subject.

One very cool thing about being a shelter writer is I get to see a lot of neato stuff. One of the most innovative products I’ve seen in a while are these Japanese-inspired windows called Glass Forest TM. (I can’t figure out how to get the little trade mark symbol.)

I got to talk to Brian Schafer the window’s inventor and President of Edgewood Log Structures on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. When he worked in Asia he was moved by the culture’s appreciation for wood and for the out-of-doors. He combined both by creating huge windows that have no tradition trim, but uses hand stripped and finished trees to support the panes.  “It truly blurs the outside with the inside,” said Schafer.

Of course, these aren’t meant for one’s suburban home in Richfield or anything, but they’re dang beautiful.

Photo from the Star Tribune by Joel Koyama from the 8.6.08 story Rambler Revival in the Variety section

The 50’s rambler has always been the Rodney Dangerfield of architecture, but it seems their smart and efficient layout is finally getting some respect. I’ve long been a fan.

When we bought our rambler during the frenzied love affair with the bungalow, several friends really didn’t know what to say. The house had hardly been updated since it was built in 1950 (picture orange shag) so it was dated to say the least - and downright ugly in parts. But we saw past that to a layout that really worked for a family.

And it seems that finally, I’m not a alone. Today’s Star Tribune has a fantastic story written by Kim Palmer about an award-winning rambler remodel. What won the 2008 Heritage Preservation prize, along with an appearance on HGTV’s “Decorating Cents” wasn’t that the ranch-style house was transformed from an ugly duckling to some show swan - but instead the project has been lauded for keeping the rambler a rambler with some tasteful updates.

The owner architect who is responsible for the project, Judy Grundstrom, offered some tips on updating a mid-century home:

A rambler is a rambler. “Don’t try to turn a rambler into something else. I get these calls from people who say, ‘I have a rambler but I’d like to make it Tuscan or Craftsman.’ I actually turn those projects down. If your house is going to have any historic integrity for the future, allow it to be a rambler.”

Work with what you’ve got. People who own vintage houses often want to remove original features that they consider too dark, such as old fireplaces or paneling. But it’s easier, and much less expensive, to brighten a space with light-colored furniture and vibrant accents, she said.

Know your limits. Doing it yourself is a great way to save money, but some projects are better left to professionals. The Grundstroms decided they were handy enough to install the mosaic glass tile in their kitchen, a decision they soon regretted. “That was the worst weekend of my life, so stressful that we almost got divorced,” Judy Grundstrom said. “Now I tell everyone, ‘Pay the money. It’s a steal.’

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If you’re truly a hipster you can subscribe to the magazine Atomic Ranch to get ideas to make your trendy digs even more so.

Have a visceral response to ramblers? Let me know, I’d love to hear it.

Lucie Amundsen is a shelter writer and essayist who owns a rambler and is currently renting a rambler. You can read more of her stuff at www.twowordy.com.

I read a good book on the plane. And to be fair, I’ll say upfront that I read it because I was I asked to review it for Cabin Life magazine. I might not have picked it up on my own and I would have been missing out.

The full title is The Northwest Green Home Primer: Hundreds of ideas for building, remodeling and buying green. Although the focus is on the Washington and surrounding states, the basic tenants are applicable universally.

What I liked is it covers the big, major projects you’d expect like hydronic radiant systems, wind turbines and solar heating. But there were literally hundreds of smaller, more manageable improvements including rainwater harvesting, passive solar and how to buy “green” items like carpet.

What makes it all seem do-able are helpful worksheets and illustrations that walks one through everything from site analysis to budgets. Also dotted throughout the text are real-life case studies, warts and all, supported with photos.

I think everyone wants to go green and do better by this earth, but the task can seem so enormous at times it’s easy to do nothing at all. Green Primer can help dislodge us from our trance and help us take steps in the right direction - even if they’re just baby ones.

This 50’s house is for sale in St. Anthony Park for $399,900. More info HERE

This home built in 1924 is on the market for $239,900. Click HERE for the skinny.

Before jumping into the 411 of St. Anthony Park, let’s address a nagging issue.What’s the deal with all the St. Anthonys? St. Anthony Park, St. Anthony Village, St. Anthony Main and the city of St. Anthony in Stearns County. Was the Vatican being stingy here and wouldn’t issue us any more saints?

I happen to know the answer - not because I live in the Twin Cities - but because I’m not from the Twin Cities. It sounds counterintuitive; however, transplants like myself host out-of-town guests. In accommodating the various interests of visiting friends and family members for over a decade, I’ve learned much about my adopted city.

And here’s the scoop.

One of the first Europeans to “discover” Minneapolis’s Saint Anthony Falls in the late 1600’s was a Catholic missionary named Father Louis Hennepin. He named the falls after his order’s patron saint, Saint Anthony of Padua and apparently the rest of state followed his lead. (It’s Friday, now go impress your friends at Happy Hour.)

Onto our feature presentation, St. Anthony Park.

Located with Hwy 280 to the west, the cities of Lauderdale and Falcon Heights to the north and University Avenue to the south, this area is tucked away from the normal hustle of the metro. Like Highland Park, it’s like a small town in the city, only on charm steroids.

The main street, Como Avenue, has a European-style village feel with small (mostly local) businesses and restaurants like Muffaletta’s which has fabulous outdoor dining. It has a quiet, urban romance where shops are within walking distance of most houses and streets have been around since the first Roosevelt administration. Honestly, it’s so darn cute you see why people routinely leave notes on house doors indicating an interest in buying the property. It’s that kind of neighborhood.

The St. Anthony Park library was built by Carnegie in 1917 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

I used to work in St. Anthony Park and really enjoyed walking under the mature trees by the historic library and the expanse of green space on the Luther Seminary campus. Up the hill is the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus which shouldn’t be confused with the zoo in Dinky Town. This is the other U - the laid back Ag school with acres of working fields lacking like the craziness of the main campus.

But the U has had its influence. Many of the homes were built by professors throughout the years and among the 20’s Tudor-style homes and bungalows will be the occasional 70’s modern housing experiment, which somehow makes the housing stock all the stronger.

Go take a walk over in St. Anthony Park yourself, you’re sure to enjoy it.

Sharing the Love, Sharing the Credit:

Library Photo: http://www.sppl.org/locations/stanthony.html

Portions of the post were gleaned with permission from the Star Tribune article about the neighborhood written by Jason Amundsen.