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- Minneapolis, Minnesota - The House Of Balls
Weird and wonderful, creepy and quirky, the House of Balls is the creation of artist-sculptor Allen Christian. He's best known as the guy who carves bowling balls. He transforms ordinary objects onto expressive and magical works of art.
The House of Balls is Allen's studio and gallery tucked into a warehouse where the original Minneapolis street car company began over 100 years ago. You'll find Allen there in the evenings and the occasional weekend night. When he's there you'll likely get to see him creating his next piece Everything's for sale, but you'll have to ask the price.
His sculptures have been placed in public and private spaces. The Minnesota Science Museum features his version of "The Thinker" made of huge electrical transformers and other objects.
[Brian Paulsen, 08/17/2010]House of Balls:- Address:
- 1504 S. 7th St., Minneapolis, MN
- Directions:
- Just south of the river, on the cul-de-sac where 15th Ave. S. dead-ends at the Cedar Riverside LRT stop. Visible from I-35W and the 5th St. exit off of I-94.
- Hours:
- M-Sa 12-4 (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- Phone:
- 612-332-3992
- Admission:
- Donation
I took a pagan friend to visit the Shoe Tree, thinking that her artistic spirit would appreciate urban art. To my horror, she began crying about the "abuse" that the tree experienced by mean people throwing their shoes into it. It was the last time we did anything together.
[CS, 04/09/2008]Urban Shoe Tree:- Address:
- Washington Ave., Minneapolis, MN
- Directions:
- North of I-35W on the west side of the pedestrian walk along Washington Avenue bridge. The bridge passes over W. River Pkwy.
On the West bank side of the Washington Avenue Bridge (connecting the West and East banks of the University of Minnesota, there is a tree of shoes which the UMN students add to each year.
[Jeffrey Shockley, 04/28/2007]We have a wonderful tree in Minnesota that overhangs the Washington Avenue bridge, which spans the Mississippi River. The tree grows from ground level to spread over the second tier of the bridge, its branches laden with hundreds of shoes. They have begun to spread to a few of the nearby trees.
The Shoe Tree, as it is simply called by students at the University of Minnesota, where it is located, is a favorite subject in photography classes or just a great stop on the way to class.
[Taylor H., 02/04/2007]Here is a shoe tree right in the middle of Minneapolis -- not as impressively dense as the Nevada Shoe Tree, but a nice start. It's also not as striking since it isn't the only tree on the landscape, but is interesting for several reasons. Two bicycles hang in the tree. In addition to the urban setting, the presence of the river below makes the viewing experience completely different from the other shoe trees. The neatest thing about visiting this shoe tree is the adjacent bridge -- where you are level with the upper branches.
[Soopageek, 01/23/2005]The convenient access to the branches explains the bicycles, sort of. The Washington Avenue bridge has also been the site of several suicides, though apparently not by plunging into the shoe tree.
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Those pagans, so sensitive to the tiniest atrocity on Gaia. More Shoe Trees. July 2016: Photo added.