replica buildings - InFocusTech IDS Tower 150 , Minnesota , 429

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Reviews for the product - IDS Tower 150 (Back to product)

7 Product Reviews - Average rating 5 / 5 (Best Rated | Worst Rated | Most Recent | Oldest)

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A piece of my history

David Nye - 08/12/2023

The IDS Building holds a very special place in my heart! I witnessed it's construction! Wonderful!!! Quality is as always, impeccable! I look forward to new replicas to be created and collecting them! InFocusTech is second to none! Kudos!

Excellent replica of the Tower (not Center)

Bobak Ha'Eri - 03/16/2023

The color, the "zogs" (as Philip Johnson named the distinctive zigzag cuts in the tower's corners), and the proportions are all perfect in this downtown Minneapolis landmark that reigned as the dominant and by-far tallest skyscraper for many years (the previous tallest, Foshay, was only 37-stories). Johnson used the "zogs" to break the mirror effect "into a thousand refractions." He further created what he deemed a "cage-like visual effect" by making the exterior dark gray anodized aluminum in solid structural bands and hairline-thin horizontal and vertical strips. My only critique of this particular replica was how important the total Center was to his design; the Crystal Court at the base (not included) was as significant as the tower, along with the minor tower that he also designed on the same block (for a hotel).

I used to live a block away, and I researched the building and now include it in lectures on modernism in the state. I'll share some of the highlights that I've come across and then some context: It was Johnson's largest work at the time, and was one of the key reinventions he had in his career (he was quite open about his willingness to learn and employ trends…but he was also very good at it). The complex received a 1975 national AIA Honor Award, with the jury noting "I.D.S. Center is truly the city center," and were equally impressed by the Crystal Court, noting "This lean-to galleria is by no means the simple greenhouse variety, but a scintillating, crystalline, transparent, multiple reflective ambient; grand but not grandiose, exciting yet sustaining in dignity and interest." When the AIA Journal did an in-depth review of Johnson, as a living AIA Gold Medal recipient, in its June 1979 issue; they selected IDS Center as his single work to focus on, likely because Johnson himself viewed it as a major turning point in his career: By the late-1960s, Johnson felt that some viewed his ideas (and himself) as "irrelevant," especially in the art museum scene he had been focusing on; as Johnson noted: "We had very little work at that time. But urban design is a dead end, because nothing gets built—just more piles of paper. I like to build, not just make schemes. I was terribly envious of [I.M.] Pei—Kips Bay, I thought, was a really fine group. I would have been interested in doing that sort of thing, but nobody asked me. That's why when we started doing IDS in Minneapolis, it seemed like a brand new world. IDS was the eye-opener for urban statements that could still be connected with the profit system. We could get to the heart of a city—unlike museums—and affect the lives of millions. Naturally, that's very heady stuff. And we could make a building that from 100 miles away was a symbol of the town, at the same time that we could make a gathering place like an old fashioned market. It was the turning point of all our work." The issue's examination of the project concluded "It would seem that just as Johnson got to Minneapolis at just the right time, Minneapolis got to Johnson at just the right time."

Fantastic

Mike / Redmond WA - 03/21/2012

My first building purchase of my favorite skyscraper in the US. This is a very nice replica. Large, heavy and very accurate.

Timeless

Jordan - 09/27/2011

I think that the IDS Tower has got probably the very best overall design of any 1970's skyscraper. It would probably not look out of place if it were built today. InFocusTech's replica of it is just excellent, and it will look great in any collection.

Blown Away!

Jim B - 12/17/2010

Absolutely stunning! Thanks so much.

Minneapolis Icon

Tim Stout - 06/27/2010

I love having a model of the IDS tower. This replica is spot on and gorgeous. I only wish it included some representation of the prominent antennae on top. Although not part of it's official height they are certainly a visual part of the overall effect.

Excellent Job!

Tom Malone - 07/23/2009

I grew up seeing this building in the Minneapolis Skyline. As a kid I would have my birthday parties on the 51st floor. The building has exquisite detail and is a great addition to my collection.

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