It's one of those buildings that could have been much, much worse. As it is, it's not that great. Perhaps seeing it in context might make you a little more forgiving.

It replaced a beloved old pile of rock at the end of Hennepin Avenue, blocks away. It was ancient, a 19th century relic that the New Minneapolis didn't need. When the city fathers wrecked the Gateway district, they put the new library where the old tired buildings had been, No more the weary stone - sleek technocratic International Style purity was the Future.

It was clean and hopeful, a machine for learning.

It took about ten years before it looked out of date. Twenty years before it looked boring. Soon it will be ripped down and replaced by a Cesar Pelli vesion, the next new library. Not too many people will miss this one - but as I keep saying, any time a style gets devalued, it disappears - and then one day you wish you'd kept a few around. This one will be missed eventually. No doubt.