WEIMING LU:

Weiming Lu was born in Shanghai, China on March 20, 1930. Political unrest caused his family to flee to Taiwan in 1949. After attending Cheng-Kung University (where he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering) and fulfilling a military obligation, Lu emigrated to America and entered the University of Minnesota to continue his engineering studies. After receiving a master of science degree in civil engineering (1954) he went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study regional planning. He returned to Minneapolis in 1959 to join the city planning department where he eventually rose to the post of Chief of Environmental Design.

During the next dozen years Minneapolis saw the construction of the Interstate 35-W highway, the Nicollet Mall, and the skyway system. Lu was involved in all of these projects, and co-authored the Metro 85 plan (1971), which was the blueprint for Minneapolis urban planning in the 1970s. He helped develop the first plan for the Metropolitan Planning Commission, and successfully lobbied for passage of the Heritage Preservation Commission Act and tax increment financing.

In 1971 Lu left Minnesota for Dallas, Texas where, as Director of Urban Design for that city, he helped establish an active historic preservation commission; a sign ordinance that became a national model; helped create a downtown arts district; and fought successfully for landmark designation for the Texas School Book Depository building.

In 1979 Lu returned to the Twin Cities as a Deputy Director for Urban Design for the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation (LRC) in St. Paul. Two years later he became its executive director, and led an effort to renovate a run-down area of downtown St. Paul full of old warehouses and parking lots. The goal of the Corporation was to create a more livable urban environment for all ages and income levels; create jobs by attracting new businesses; renovate warehouses for housing; encourage the arts; and create more green space and reconnect the neighborhood with the Mississippi River. This plan, which also encouraged the historic preservation of old buildings while at the same time encouraging the use of high technology, efficient heating and cooling systems, and light rail, has become a model for other urban villages around the world.

Lu has lectured extensively around the world and has written widely on many topics relating to urban planning. He has served on numerous boards, ranging from reconstruction in South Central Los Angeles to planning for the Beijing Olympics, and from Chinatown in Singapore to the South of Market area of San Francisco. He has served as planning advisor to the mayors of Beijing and Taipei. As a member of the Committee of 100, an organization of Chinese-American leaders in arts, academia, business, and science, he authored a position paper on improving relations between the United States and China. He worked with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and other Asian artists and the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota in arranging a memorial concert known as Hun Qiao, which commemorated the Asian holocaust in World War II (May 2001). He has acted as St. Paul's host to many visiting delegations of mayors, city planners, and architects from around the world. Lu is also an accomplished Chinese calligrapher, whose work has been exhibited in a number of art galleries.

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The collection includes speeches and articles; subject files; some personal correspondence; a few CD-ROMs; and a videotape.

The speeches and articles span most of Lu's professional career (1963-2006), and involve many of the projects and organizations he was involved with around the world. The bulk of them concern urban planning issues involving projects of the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation (1979-2006). A number of them were given in China and Japan, and a few are written in those languages. While most of the speeches and articles were written and given by Lu, some of them were written by others.

Subject files relate largely to Chinese-American organizations. These include the Committee of 100, an organization of Chinese-Americans prominent in the arts, academia, and the professions; the Organization of Chinese Americans; the National Committee on United States-China Relations; and the China AIDS Fund. Hun Qiao, the multi-year project organizing a concert of commemoration and reconciliation of Asian atrocities during World War II is well-documented, as are various local Chinese-American groups, including the Chinese American Association of Minnesota. Lu's interest in art (kites and calligraphy) is documented as well.

A series of miscellaneous correspondence, 1991-2006, and a number of CD-Roms containing some speeches, Lu's autobiography and a taped interview round out the collection. Some of the material is in Chinese and Japanese languages.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions:

KTCA retains duplication rights to the video KTCA Portraits interview of Weiming Lu.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Weiming Lu Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 16,132; 16,401; 17,091

Processing Information:

Processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with a Basic Project grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Catalog ID number: 990065948280104294

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Speeches and articles date from throughout Lu's career. While the majority of the material concerns the activities and projects of the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation, there are some speeches dealing with Chinese-American issues and with personal projects. There is a topical index to the speeches. The speeches and articles are arranged in chronological order. Researchers should also consult the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation Records for further information on many of the topics and projects discussed.

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This series primarily documents Lu's involvement with the Chinese-American community (1990-2006). Among the groups documented are the Committee of 100; the National Committee on United States-China Relations; the Organization of Chinese Americans; and the China AIDS Fund. More locally, Lu was involved with the Chinese American Association of Minnesota and with the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota. There is information about Hun Qiao, or Bridge of Souls, which featured many Asian musicians. Lu's interest in art, mainly calligraphy and Chinese kites, is also documented. Some of the material is in Chinese.

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While correspondence of Weiming Lu is found throughout the collection, these files are of a more miscellaneous nature. Material is roughly arranged by year and also contains newspaper clippings and memoranda, some in Chinese.

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Contain speeches and graphics relating to the history of the Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation. Lu was the executive director of the LRC for 25 years. See the LRC records for further information. A history of the Chinese American Association of Minnesota, an autobiography of Lu, and a taped interview are also included.

Weiming Lu speeches and autobiography, 2007.

Contains speeches (in Power Point format) on calligraphy; Chinese history (Hun Qiao, the Olympic Games, Shan Sui City); Dallas (El Barrio and Tao City Design); Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation; and an autobiography of Weiming Lu entitled Being a Global Person.

Digital version of autobiography

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Asian Americans -- Minnesota.

Chinese Americans -- Minnesota.

Historic buildings -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Historic preservation.

Places:

Lowertown (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Persons:

Ma, Yo-Yo, 1955- , author.

Pei, I. M., 1917- , author.

Organizations:

Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, author.

China AIDS Fund, author.

China Center Advisory Council, author.

Chinese American Association of Minnesota, author.

Committee of 100, author.

Lowertown Redevelopment Corporation, author.

National Committee on United States -- China Relations, author.

Organization of Chinese Americans, author.

Meetings:

Hun Qiao.

Types of Documents:

CD-ROMs.

Speeches.

Videotapes.

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