The historic former Grain Belt Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis, located on the east bank of the Mississippi River, was renovated and redeveloped by Ryan Companies beginning around 2005. After winning the National Preservation Award from the American Institute of Architects, the area now forms an anchor to the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
Contributing structures of the site include:
- The Brewhouse
- The Boiler House
- The Wagon Shed
- The Office Building
- The Gasthaus (“inn” or “eating house”), which has become the Pierre Bottineau Branch of the Hennepin County Library
- The Keg House, which is part of the complex, but not part of the NRHP entry
- The Warehouse, dating from 1910 and including its 1949 & 1957 additions (but not the 1964 addition, which has been developed into offices and light industrial space)
- The Bottling House, dating from 1906 and including the 1969 addition, which now serves as a space for artist studios. It also boasts a large atrium which is used exclusively for arts-related events.
Designed by the Minneapolis firm of Boehme and Cordella, known for also designing the Turnblad Mansion which is now home to the American Swedish Institute, the former Warehouse and Bottling House (not shown) are matching two-story buildings with identical, yellow brick facades and large arched windows. These two acquisitions preserved nearly 130,000 square feet of space for artists and creative businesses that might otherwise have been converted into offices or condos.
- Visited: several times since 2005
- National Register of Historic Places: 1990
Traces of Places 