Malcolm Moos Health Sciences Tower, Minneapolis

Moos Tower: the campus giant that sparks as many opinions as it does glances upward. With 17 floors, a height of 853 feet, and an exposed aggregate concrete façade, it’s the University of Minnesota’s tallest building—and, let’s face it, one of its least visually beloved. Yet behind its stark appearance lies a story rooted in 1970s university politics and architectural trends.

Conceived by The Architects Collaborative of Cambridge, Massachusetts, the building was completed in the early 1970s and named for Malcolm Moos, a political scientist and the University’s president at the time. Moos Tower is a bold example of brutalism, a design movement that embraced unadorned materials and fortress-like forms. Back then, brutalist architecture was all the rage—intended to stand out in the urban landscape and project strength during a time of societal unrest, including the civil rights era and anti-Vietnam War protests. For a campus that had just witnessed major student demonstrations in May 1972, the solid, uncompromising aesthetic of Moos Tower mirrored the tense and uncertain mood of the times.

Brutalism also offered practical benefits. The raw, utilitarian design allowed for flexibility—interior walls can be shifted to adapt to changing healthcare and academic needs. While it may not win any beauty contests, the building functions well as a medical and educational hub, serving its purpose without frills. In that sense, it’s a true product of its era: unyielding, pragmatic, and a little intimidating. Like it or not, it remains a landmark and a piece of architecture that, for better or worse, has stood the test of time.