Northrop, Minneapolis, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Northrop is the grand columned auditorium at the head of the mall on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Opened in 1929 and designed by Clarence H. Johnston Sr., it has been the university's main stage for music, dance and public speakers for generations, and it anchors one of the best-known views on campus.

The story behind it

Northrop is named for Cyrus Northrop, the university's second president. It opened in autumn 1929 as the campus's great hall, and its stage has hosted performers and public figures from far beyond Minnesota. Martin Luther King Jr. is among the speakers remembered here, with visits in 1959 and 1963.

After a long renovation the hall reopened in 2014, and the stories came out with it. The best known is a local legend about the ghost of a former stage manager, said to keep watch over the stage and make sure the show starts on time. It is a tale, not a documented fact, but it is the one people repeat when they talk about the building.

What to look for

• Stand at the foot of the mall and take in the tall columns across the front, which give the building its temple-like look.
• Look at the symmetry of the facade, which is deliberately set to face down the length of the mall.
• Turn around and look back down the mall to see how the building closes the view across the campus lawn.
• Notice the scale of the entrance steps and doors, which show how this building was meant to be a civic stage as well as a campus hall.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes to look around the outside and the mall, longer if you also want to wander the nearby campus.
• Morning and late afternoon light is kinder to the columns, and the mall is calmer outside class changeovers.
• You can usually go inside for performances and events, so check current opening hours and the event calendar before you plan on entering.
• The building sits on a walkable campus, so pair it with the rest of the mall and the streets around it rather than making it a single stop.

See it on a quest

Northrop works well as one stop on a longer walk. Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis takes you on foot through the campus area. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape in Minneapolis is a self-guided route with an Oz theme that passes Northrop. You walk from place to place, hear the story of each one, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Lucky Treasure Hunt: The Golden Shamrock in Minneapolis is a treasure-hunt style walk that includes this stop. You start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join, and the app explains each place as you reach it. One ticket covers the whole group.