INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Block E Update ............................................. 1-2 THE Snapshot: 655 Nicollet .....................................2 Revitalizing “NordEast”! ..................................3 Member Profiles ...............................................4 Connection Holiday Forecast ...............................................6 Minnesota Marketplace ............................... 7-8 Legislative Update ............................................9 Winterizing Plumbing Tips ...........................10 Click on article Program Recap................................................11 title to link directly MSCA Leadership ..........................................12 to that page! Calendar of Events & Corp. Sponsors .........13 STARR Awards Flyer ......................................14 NOVEMBER 2015 FEATURE Block E: A Look Back... ARTICLE and a New Chapter by Susanne Miller, LOUCKS With the exciting buzz surrounding By 1950, Moby Dicks was in full shopping and entertainment Little did the Minnesota Lynx championship swing and Shinder’s anchored each mall, housing a dueling piano bar, Winter know win and third WNBA title, a group end of Block E’s Hennepin face. restaurants, and an AMC movie that more of members at a recent MSCA The next three decades were a theater. The five-star Graves 601 than 50 years meeting began reflecting on the gritty time in Block E’s history, with luxury hotel was built on most of later, two history of Block E and the impacts panhandling, loitering, drug dealing, the block’s First Avenue side. It was professional of the new Mayo Clinic Square. The and street crime taking a heavy toll hoped that the new Block E would sports teams, conversation spurred a stroll down on the area. resuscitate the retail that had left in partnership memory lane and subsequent walk Hennepin Avenue for Nicollet Mall with Mayo around the block. In 1987, the city council voted to and the suburbs. The development Clinic, would demolish the entire Hennepin side failed in 2010 and was sold to play a pivotal BLOCK E TIME CAPSULE in order to reverse urban blight and Camelot LLC for $14 million. By role in the Until the early 1900s, Block E’s high crime rates. Spirits were high, 2011, tenants such as Snyder’s Drugs, renewal of Hennepin face consisted mainly of but the celebration was premature, Borders, Escape Ultra Lounge, Block E. mansions and row houses, which as a planned development for the Bellanote, Block E Hard Rock Café were slowly replaced by a variety of block fell through. Until the early and AMC Theater had all closed storefronts, arcade galleries, pool 2000s, the Hennepin side of the block their doors. For a century, multiple halls, a grocery store, and bars. The remained a surface-level parking lot. incarnations of the block included Shubert Theatre was built in 1910, The only remaining structures were repeat after repeat of many similar followed by the Jeweler’s Exchange the Shubert Theatre and a two-story business types. Arcades, restaurants, Building in 1913. The 620 Club, billboard advertisement. In 1999, night clubs, retail stores... owned by Ernie Fleigel and Max even the Shubert left, and is the – continued on page 2 Winter, was in operation from the only surviving structure from the 1930s until 1971. The club was original Block E. The six-million BLOCK E, CIRCA 1920 popular with professional athletes pound theater earned a spot in the from the 1940s to the 1960s, the same Guinness Book of World records as time period when Winter brought the largest structure ever moved on major league basketball and football rubber-wheeled dollies when it was to Minneapolis as founder of the relocated next to the Hennepin Minneapolis Lakers in 1947 and the Center for the Arts. Minnesota Vikings in 1960. Little did Winter know that more than 50 In 2002, Chicago-based real years later, two professional sports estate developer McCaffery teams, in partnership with Mayo Interests repurposed the entire Clinic, would play a pivotal role in block. Dubbed the Minneapolis the renewal of Block E. Lifestyle Center, it was an enclosed november | 2015 FEATURE ARTICLE CONTINUED: Block E: A Look Back... and a New Chapter independents early on, replaced by parking in front of O’Donovan’s Irish that business seemed steady since All in all, chain stores in the later decades. Pub was quick and easy, with plenty the grand opening, and that the informal of lot and ramp options available. restaurant was enjoying traffic from feedback and BASKETBALL AND SPORTS MEDICINE Starbucks was temporarily closed for the new clinic, but that it was just comments LOOKS TO BE A WINNING COMBINATION maintenance work, which gave me too early to tell what the long-term from retail On February 4, 2014, the Minnesota a chance to visit briefly with KTK impacts would be from the new customers and Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx Construction’s Jeff Johnson and Mayo Clinic Square. staff regarding announced a partnership with Mayo Kenny Johnson. KTK Construction Mayo Clinic Clinic to rename the building Mayo had been working 24-7 for several All in all, informal feedback and Square was Clinic Square. The Timberwolves and weeks on the maintenance job at comments from retail customers positive and Lynx spent more than $20 million to Starbucks. According to Jeff and and staff regarding Mayo Clinic upbeat. repurpose the vacant movie theaters Kenny, parking cars in the area was Square was positive and upbeat. into a practice facility. Mayo invested a breeze, though they found it a bit The sidewalks were humming with nearly $7 million to create a 20,000 challenging to find parking spaces bicyclists and pedestrians, and those square foot sports medicine clinic, large enough to accommodate their with vehicles reported that parking Mayo’s most significant presence in work trucks. Accepting deliveries remained manageable. Four months the Twin Cities area. The clinic serves also proved difficult, due to busy after the grand opening, it seems as the preferred medical provider for docks, but Jeff and Kenny found professional basketball and sports both basketball teams, and also caters that accepting deliveries on the medicine are the right mix for the to Twin Cities athletes seeking sports street afterhours in front of the store right block at the right time. medicine services and performance worked just fine. solutions. Lower levels are available to the public and house an interactive Conversations with employees and fan area, Kieran’s Irish Pub, The patrons at Cosmos and Kieran’s Shout House Dueling Pianos, Jimmy reflected optimism and excitement John’s, and Starbucks. After months about Mayo Clinic Square. Jimmy of renovations, the grand opening of John’s was packed with customers the new Mayo Clinic Square facility who had mostly biked and walked was held on June 17, 2015. to grab a bite. During my walk around the block, I was approached FOUR MONTHS POST-GRAND-OPENING by just one panhandler, then settled On a sunny, non-game-day Thursday in at Kieran’s Irish Pub for lunch. BLOCK E, 2015 in mid-October, nearby street The waitress’s perception was SNAPSHOT: 655 NICOLLET OPENED: SEPTEMBER 2015 United Properties, in a joint venture with Capital Real Estate, Inc., acquired the first two floors of 655 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis in December 2014. Previously occupied by Saks, 655 Nicollet is now home to WALGREENS, ORTHOLOGY AND NORTH MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE. The new Walgreens is a marquee format and features an escalator connecting its two floors, a sushi bar along with more food pantry options and prepackaged foods. 655 Nicollet has multiple entrance points including access to Nicollet Mall and the Minneapolis skyway system. LOCATION: NEC of Nicollet Mall & S. 7th Street OWNER: 655 Nicollet Partners LLC (United Properties & Capital Real Estate, Inc.) PROPERTY MANAGER: Cushman Wakefield/NorthMarq (Brian Burg) LEASING REPRESENTATIVE: Cushman Wakefield/NorthMarq (Kim Meyer, 952-893-8887) BUILDING REDEVELOPMENT: B TS Construction & RSP Architects TENANT WORK: North Memorial: D.J. Kranz Co Inc. and HGA Orthology: Zeman Construction Company, Pope Architects Inc. and design architect – Morris Architects, Inc. Walgreens: BTS Construction and RSP Architects GLA: 50,729 sq. ft. CURRENT OCCUPANCY: 100% ANCHOR TENANTS: Walgreens MARKET AREA SERVED: Minneapolis CBD 2 november | 2015 RISING STAR Revitalizing “Nordeast”! by Phil Foster, CMA Years ago Northeast Minneapolis Betty Danger’s Country Club at the Mayslack’s to Cali’s to Emily’s, you Times are did not have the reputation as intersection of Marshall St. NE and can experience a plethora of ethnic changing being one of the “go-to” spots for N. Lowry Ave. At Betty’s you can diversity in food and atmosphere and so is the hipster “Millennial” generation ride a 65-foot ferris wheel or play that is sure to satisfy any picky Northeast let alone the rest of us “X’ers” and some mini-golf all while enjoying palette. Minneapolis. “Boomers”. Times are changing and good food and drinks well into the so is Northeast Minneapolis. early morning hours. The 1029 Bar The revitalizing taking place is not on Marshall Street provided the only in the restaurants and bars With an area of only 7.5 mi2 and kitchen facility that catapulted the but also in educational facilities, a population of approximately success of the now popular Smack community centers, parks, modern 36,255 comprised of 13 smaller Shack from a Food Truck to the and historic residences, markets and neighborhoods, the restaurants brick and mortar store that opened an improved infrastructure making and drinking establishments are in the Northloop Neighborhood. If this area an open and inviting part flourishing in this rebounding you want to experience an authentic of town that draws in more and economy. Three of these supper club feel, Jax Café is your more people. The growth in this neighborhoods, St. Anthony West, destination and is a long standing area continues to prosper and shows Sheridan and Bottineau which icon for over 75 years in Northeast no sign of slowing down anytime border along the Mississippi River, Minneapolis at the intersection soon.