Your question is interesting.
Unlike many other American cities, Minneapolis/ St. Paul has "branded" itself by turning to the accomplishments of its fine arts community. This branding has taken many forms. In the case of architectural achievements, the focus has been on high-profile structures recently.
For example...
The city has recently concluded over a half-billion dollars worth of fine-arts buildings that were designed by internationally-known architects, along with new projects that will happen in the next couple of years.
The new
Tyrone Guthrie Theatre (winner of a
Tony Award for best Regional Theatre) designed by
Jean Nouvel.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts (addition by
Michael Graves, joining the original building by
McKim Mead & White and a 1970's addition by
Kenzo Tange.).
Children's Theatre Addition (Again, winner of a
Tony Award), by Michael Graves.
New Central Library (designed by
Cesar Pelli).
The new addition to the
Weisman Museum by
Frank Gehry.
When large architectural projects are not practical, then the Twin Cities still have achieved success by sponsoring, for example, the Minnesota
Fringe Festival. It is the
largest non-juried arts festival in North America. These performances take place among existing venues throughout the two cities. No new architectural structures have been built just to accommodate these performances. However, these shows can be easily accommodated with the existing infrastructure.
Regarding other fine arts such as music, the
Minnesota Orchestra has been positioning itself to become America's finest symphony orchestra. When they built their new home in downtown Minneapolis in 1974, they hired one of the best architectural firms in the country that had experience with concert halls (
Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer). With over 100 years of history, the orchestra has often been given
lavish praise by the international arts community. It is also the very first orchestra to have won a Gold Record. The 1958 recording was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, and it is
still available on Amazon. Other reviews are
here and
here.
And the orchestra's reputation has depended, on large part, upon the exceedingly
great acoustics that the architects provided. In this vein, architecture played a huge role in the "branding" of the city.
The Grammy-Award-winning St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (which is America's ONLY full time Chamber Orchestra, BTW) has been heard across the globe (along with the Minnesota Orchestra) on
American Public Media broadcasts. American Public Media, the second largest producer of public radio programs is, by the way, also based in St. Paul. The home of the SPCO is the
Ordway Center. It's a glittering concert hall designed specifically for the acoustical requirements of a chamber orchestra. Again, in this case, architecture has played a huge role in branding the city.
The choral community is also unusually well represented.
Vocal Essence, one of Americas finest ensembles, is based in St. Paul. As is the
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, the
Minnesota Chorale, and the
Dale Warland Singers. While no specific concert halls have been erected for the sole purpose of the choral community, there are at least two dozen venues suitable for choral concerts.
The Twin Cities have also positioned themselves as a center for dance. While the high-profile architecture has been limited to the new
University dance center, the area is also home to numerous dance companies such as
Zenon,
Ballet of the Dolls and others that have migrated from New York, such as the
James Sewell Ballet, just to name a few.
What I tried to answer for you is that the Twin Cities have invested heavily in architectural gems to promote their "branding" as a major cultural center. The Cities have succeeded on an international level to a point, and have established themselves as a major cultural center on a national scale. But it all depends upon what you pay attention to.
I'd really have to say that all of these efforts have paid off for the community. You asked what kinds of effects these structure may have on a city.
I'm not sure that the structure has an effect as much as that the psyche of the community tends to produce the structures needed for its actualization. I know this sounds a bit philosophical, but somehow the production of fine arts buildings in the Twin Cities have created a sort of feed-back loop. More buildings produce more organizations that demand more buildings. Yes, a new concert hall will spur interest in much the same way that a new sports stadium will give a boost to the local football team. But for this to be a lasting interest, there must be a deep committment to the idea that
fine arts matter.