“I have friends who, like many other citizens, stayed up all night (during the riots) protecting their homes, schools, libraries, religious institutions, community centers, grocery stores, post offices, pharmacies and more,” she said. “These institutions are just bricks and mortar, but they provide places for us to gather as a common humanity. They also become markers of determination and survival, just as St. Paul’s Cathedral did for London when it survived the German bombings of World War II. Our buildings give us strength, and we can use that as one small part of the equality and justice we must have for all.”
Young grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and attended New York University and the University of Virginia. “An architect is someone who is trained in the process of designing buildings; there’s a lot more science and math,” she said. “I always thought about history and art history. Then I saw some Frank Lloyd Wright buildings for the first time, and I thought this could be fun. I’m trained in using the building landscape to better understand history.”
In 2000, after completing her Ph.D. at Virginia, Young made her way back to Minnesota. A colleague at St. Thomas told her of an opening at the university, and she has worked there ever since. Throughout that time, she has been active in the Society of Architectural Historians. She has also been involved in the master plan for the St. Thomas campus and in the design and construction of new buildings, including dormitories, the renovation of the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas and the soon-to-be-completed Iversen Center for Faith.
The chapel and Iversen projects have been especially meaningful for Young. “About five years ago, when we did a campus master plan, I was picked as the faculty representative,” she said. “That was great because the things I’m teaching all the time I’m now actually doing.
“The chapel is Catholic and the Iversen is a multi-faith space,” she said. “We have a statue of St. Thomas Aquinas coming for the north plaza of the chapel. For the Iversen, we wanted to be careful not to have artwork that looked too Catholic or too Buddhist or too Jewish. Figuring out how all that would play out was tough.”
The Aquinas statue is by world-renowned sculptor Timothy Schmaltz. The art selected for the Iversen includes “Tell Me A Story,” a series of prints by St. Olaf professor emeritus Mary Griep based on drawings of sacred spaces from around the world, and a painting by Missouri artist Kelly Kruse with six panels representing the mind, body and soul as depicted in Greek literature.
Kruse’s work “will convey the idea of holistic human design that speaks to all, regardless of race, gender, age or religious background,” Young said. “This type of thing makes a difference in how you feel when walking around campus.”
Young is the author of St. John’s Abbey Church: Marcel Breuer and the Creation of a Modern Sacred Space (University of Minnesota Press, 2014), about the architectural masterpiece at St. John’s University in Collegeville. Among her latest projects is a new guidebook to the architecture of the University St. Thomas and a new course on the architectural history of St. Thomas.
“Architecture speaks to the identity of so many things—a college, state, nation, religious order,” Young said. “As human beings, beauty matters to us. The beauty of a campus is about the care and consideration that goes into the buildings.”
The University of St. Thomas was founded by Archbishop John Ireland on Summit Avenue for a reason, Young said. “He knew that buildings in good locations mattered. This speaks volumes about excellence, and it has never been left behind.”
The architecture at St. Thomas also represents the university’s respect for the city of St. Paul, Young added. “That’s why the door of the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas faces away from the campus and toward downtown,” she said. “We’re part of the neighborhood.”
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Dr. Young joined SAH in 1994, has served on numerous committees, has served as 2nd and 1st Vice President of SAH and now serves as President.
