Young Brainerd Family To Make Piece Of Mpls. Skyway Home
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Brainerd family is the owner of one of the most unique houses in Minnesota.
Aimee and Preston Jobe plan to transform an old Minneapolis skyway into their home after winning it from a Twin Cities architectural firm.
Earlier this year, CityDeskStudio announced it would give away a piece of the old 5th Street pedestrian bridge.
CityDeskStudio bought it nine years ago after it came down to make way for the light rail. They had hopes of selling it, but never found a buyer.
The Jobes will move it to their land in Brainerd this May to begin the renovation.
"It's going to take quite a bit of work and a little bit of money to put into it," Preston said. "We're looking forward to it, so it'll be an adventure, I guess."
The skyway may be the definition of a fixer upper, but the Jobes couldn't pass on the chance to win the pedestrian bridge.
"We kind of thought there was no chance they were going to pick us," Aimee said.
The Jobe family submitted their vision for turning this decaying structure into a home for their young family.
That proposal eventually stood out in a competition of more than 100 inquiries.
"It's more than I could ever ask for in my vision of a steel and glass house," Aimee said.
But before the Jobes move it north, the public will put it to good use one last time.
For weeks, artists Tom Carruthers and his wife, Jennifer, have turned the skyway into a large art installation called "Longing."
Visitors step inside the skyway to see two mirrors that cast unending reflections, a tribute to the history of this pedestrian bridge.
A simple breeze transforms the floating reflections, allowing visitors to re-imagine the skyway.
"This is a piece of a network that's known to people in Minneapolis and St. Paul," artist Jennifer Newsom Carruthers said. "I hope people are delighted, surprised, provoked."
For the Jobes, it's the proper send-off for a public space destined to become their dream home.
"I love art, so, I was like, 'We need to let it be in there before it goes,'" Aimee said.
Even though the skyway is free, the Jobes are paying for the renovations and cost to move it.
The art installation is free and open to the public through May 15.
If you want to check it out, the skyway is located near the railroad tracks behind TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
