When it was quitting time at the Chaska Herald back in the mid-70s, it often meant a visit to Butch's Tavern a few doors down the street. And, to Stan's delight, it often meant a visit there with Curly Roberts, a thoughtful and charismatic gentleman who was busy designing projects for Jonathan Development Corp.
Jonathan was the new town in Chaska, controversial, loved, hated, always interesting.
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| Herald file photo |
Curly was a first-class architect, and shared insights into design principles with his eager junior drinking partner. He explained the esthetics of the Martini (the reasons the olive, delicate stemware and clear liquid work so well together), he explained the elements of fine design in a Manhattan, with its heavy red hues and bulky glass, and he explained to his student the compelling tension and balance in the unique geometry of the female breast. A few graceful lines rendered in an architectural hand on a cocktail napkin made his point.
Stan had wanted to be an architect when he grew up, but Curly's inside view of the rough and tumble of the business made Stan grateful for his own career path.
When Jonathan Development Corp. went belly-up and the economy brought a halt to building projects, Curly faced some struggles supporting his family. He proved to be quite resourceful bridging hard times.
There's a modest car wash on Marschall Road in Shakopee that bears his unique architectural style, no job too lowly when there's a family to feed. Stan used it once to wash up a suckling pig for a Hawaiian-style luau at Rich Lyman's farm. Can't remember if Curly came. . . he was certainly invited. That car wash still stands, a reminder of good times and of a good friend.
For a time Curly flirted with an AmWay franchise, mysteriously inviting all his friends over for a "secret meeting" at his house, revealing its disappointing purpose after it was too late to escape. Not sure if he sold any soap or got any investors to sign up that afternoon, but he sure got an A for effort, even slipping a shill into his eye-rolling audience. Curly's shill actually stood up and with a straight face said "Curly, can we talk more about some of the products?"
Curly died last week, visitation is Friday in Chaska with burial at Ft. Snelling.
Stan will carefully mix a Whiskey Manhattan in his memory, remembering to enjoy the light that casts a warm red and amber hue through the walls of the weighted tumbler, all the while thanking his old drinking buddy for helping him to notice this, and so much more.
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Here's the obituary that appears in this week's Herald.
By Mark W. Olson
editor@chaskaherald.com
One of Jonathan’s early designers has died.
Reynold “Curly” Roberts, 85, of Chaska, passed away Friday, Oct. 4.
Roberts was hired in early 1972, as the senior architect for the Jonathan Development Corporation, to work on the “New Town” of Jonathan.
Today, Jonathan is considered a homeowner association or Chaska neighborhood. However, when it was first announced by developer and state legislator Henry McKnight in 1967, Jonathan was revolutionary.
Although it was part of Chaska, Jonathan was separated by farm fields from historic downtown. The development relied heavily on federal funding, initiating design ideas that were a 180-degree turn from then common practices -- trails instead of sidewalks; preserving natural landscapes; innovative residential architecture.
Roberts moved his family back to his home state of Minnesota from Shaker Heights, Ohio, to take the job, recalled his daughters Susan Prather and Becky Earl.
NUMERIC NEIGHBORHOODS
Roberts was part of the team that brought the Jonathan Development Corporation's ideas to fruition, reporting to Ben Cunningham, Jonathan's chief architect.
Even the numerical names of the Jonathan neighborhoods were revolutionary. The neighborhoods were assigned numbers because Cunningham didn't like names, Roberts explained in a 2001 Herald interview. Names elicited a variety of positive and negative responses, so Cunningham decided, "Let's not put names on them, just numbers," Roberts said.
Roberts opened his own architectural practice, Roberts Architects, in 1973. The firm designed 14 business/warehouse buildings in Jonathan’s Crosby Park, as well as the Jonathan Information Center.
“The concepts that he seemed to emphasize were separating the industrial [development] from the neighborhoods, and the greenways were important to him,” Earl said.
The Jonathan Development Corporation folded by the end of the 1970s, and the complete Jonathan plan never was completed. “He was every excited about the whole concept of [Jonathan]. Very excited to be part of it, and very disappointed when things kind of fell through,” Prather said.
However, many original Jonathan concepts, such as the trails, can still be found in Chaska today.
LOVED PEOPLE
Roberts went on to work with other architecture firms. One of his specialties was creating logos.
In 1982, Roberts suffered a massive stroke. He worked to get his speech back, Earl recalled. The stroke affected Robert’s right side, and since he couldn’t draw, he learned AutoCAD -- a computer program for design and drafting.
“We’re amazed with what he did. It’s that drive that made him so successful as an architect,” Earl said. “But also, he loved it so much, and loved people so much, it’s almost as though he insisted ‘I’m going to get better.’”
“He bounced back really well. He was able to carry on his career until beyond retirement,” Prather said.
In his retirement, Roberts enjoyed his local morning coffee group, which originated at the Chaska Bakery and later moved to The Lodge at the Chaska Community Center. He also frequently met with alumni from Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis.
Roberts was a photographer, and held local shows of his work. During one show, Reynolds displayed his photographs with the work of Gary McLaughlin at the Chaska Community Center. In a 2004 interview, McLaughlin, who had worked as a designer and illustrator at Robert’s Architects, said his friend and former boss was the "best guy in the world, ever, to work for.”
Besides photography, Reynolds also loved gardening and playing with his grandchildren, Prather said. “He really enjoyed life and enjoyed his grandkids,” Prather said. “He was really a good man.”
Roberts is survived by his wife Stella and five children (see complete obituary on A6). Visitation is 4-7 p.m., Friday at Bertas Funeral Home, 200 West Third Street, Chaska.
