Quinn Evans received honors in the Historic category of the 2022 Retrofit Magazine Metamorphosis Awards for the Arvonne Fraser Library renovation.

Retrofit Magazine's annual Metamorphosis Awards recognizes historical development and redevelopment projects in a variety of categories each year, ranging from Historic, to Mixed Use, and Multi-Family projects. For Retrofit’s fourth-annual Metamorphosis Awards program, four previous winners were asked to judge the 2022 submissions.

“This design embraces the Brutalism well. Love the playfulness of skylights/panels within the roof coffers and the restoration of the light scoops. Opening through the ground floor to daylight the basement was the right move. Detailing with glass to maximize daylight penetration is well thought through,” said Ross Welch, AIA, NOMA, LEED GA, in the judge’s comments featured in the November-December issue of Retrofit Magazine.

Quinn Evans collaborated with MacDonald & Mack Architects to restore Arvonne Fraser Library’s exterior, reimagine the interior, improve public access, and revamp exterior public spaces. The design team leveraged sustainable stewardship to give new relevance to this beloved public building and preserved the unique geometry and Modernist details that defined renowned architect Ralph Rapson’s original design.

In addition to the 2022 Metamorphosis Award, the Arvonne Fraser Library project received a 2020 Merit Award from AIA Minneapolis, the 2020 Minneapolis Preservation Award from AIA Minneapolis, Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, and Preserve Minneapolis, and was a 2020 Top Project Honoree for Finance & Commerce in Minnesota. Read more about the project in Retrofit Magazine.