Most people that drive past this landmark and think it is part of the current owners factory or if you are part of the older generations Lumber Stores, Inc Tower. In fact something important happened with this tower from an architectural perspective. If you are in Minnesota long you probably recognize the Peavey name. Frank H
In the middle of the 1890s, Minneapolis grain dealer F. H. Peavey sent his engineer, C. F. Haglin, to Europe to study Belgian, Welch, and other developments there in concrete grain elevator construction. Haglin learned a lot about reinforced concrete from his trip and in 1899 erected at Minneapolis the first reinforced concrete bin elevator in the United States. Known as "Peavey's Folly," it consisted of a single cylindrical concrete bin.
While it shared material with its European counterparts, Peavey's Folly cylindrical design (the legacy of American experiments with steel and tile elevator design) made a radical departure from the rectangular "warehouse" system of Trans-Atlantic grain storage facilities. (The silo system was better-suited to the American method of moving grain in bulk rather than in sacks, which was common practice in Europe.) It was the unassuming prototype of the characteristic American concrete grain silos that avant-garde European architects would come to admire at Buffalo and at other grain centers in the United States. Indeed, one can say that Haglin's Peavey's Folly not only revolutionized the construction of grain elevators, but even influenced the course of modern architecture.
Slip Form is the name of the game. It is common now, but this is one of the first and played a major roll in shaping modern architecture. Until this we need to create a giant frame for reinforced concrete structures, but this building instead had a frame that we filled with concrete cured and jacked upward making a cylindrical tower. This acted as a prototype for the many other grain bins, industrial buildings, and skyscrapers that followed. So when you stop here think about the ways that we can make a first step into new advances in other fields....
As you look to the west you will also see a historical Architectural(Landscape Architectural) feature, the Beehive Fireplace a remnant of the lilac way(hwy 100) parks. One of two left standing the other is falling apart in Robbinsdale. Lilac Way was a highly publicized highway that included parks to sell people on using this route. This is one of the last remnants of this park. If you notice between the parking lot addition at the factory and the park the Landscape Architect(Wart-Hog) planted Lilacs to honor this history...
So to claim credit for your visit tell me what color the stone is at the base of the Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator. 1. Tan (Limestone/sandstone) 2. Gray/Pink (Granite) 3. Multicolored Field Boulders. If you are anywhere near the site you will be able to answer this one.
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.