Award-Winning Rehab at Garden of Gethsemane Church

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

Last week I was asked at the last minute if I was going to attend a session of Happy Hour with a Preservationist, this time at the Garden of Gethsemane church in Jordan's Cottage Park. The name of the event was something of a misnomer, however, as there were no drinks served that one would typically associate with the phrase "happy hour." We didn't even get a nip of communion wine.

But the preservation and rehab work done at this church made the evening well worth our time. The site has won several prestigious architectural awards, such as...

the "Best in Real Estate Award" by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, the "Neighborhood Preservation Award" by the Minnesota AIA and the Minneapolis HPC, and the "MN Preservation Award" by the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.

The Ackerberg Group was instrumental in making sure this was successful, so we thank them profusely for everything they do in NoMi. Here is their website detailing the rehab, including amazing "before" and "after" shots and a terrific narrative. I really encourage readers to check that out, because it'll save me the time of re-typing much of the history of this redevelopment. The website also has a comprehensive list of partners and links to their websites. The lead architect and structural engineer were integral to this process.

The Garden of Gethsemane is an extraordinarily appropriate name for this church given the colossal amount of work the church needed. The name comes from the site where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before his crucifixion. It is said that Jesus' anguish was so deep that "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling unto the ground." (Luke 22:43-44) That's the kind of effort I'm sure went into the restoration here.

The walls and roof were literally bowing in. Lead paint and asbestos needed to be abated. Water damage was extensive throughout the structure. The interior had been open to the elements for an extended period of time. Does this sound familiar? It's the condition of so many vacant properties throughout NoMi. And instead of a checklist of needed repairs, this too often is used as the criteria justifying demolition.

Pictured below is an interesting tidbit that the architect shared with us. Notice how the shingles curve away from the structure ever so slightly? Well, the phrase "they just don't make 'em like that anymore" really applies here. Shingles nowadays are frequently sold as sheets already attached to each other, saving workers the time of nailing down each individual shingle. So there are really only a handful of roofers and builders who do this kind of work. Yet the partners here went out of their way to find the ones who could and would do so.



I was also quite impressed with the stairwell. Not only did it look beautiful...





...but apparently it was so bent out of shape that it had to be readjusted in a fashion similar to a chiropractor realigning a patient's spinal column. The structural engineer also inserted a metal rod in the middle of the staircase, going from the foundation to the top of the building.

This blog has celebrated a fair amount of demolitions, and I could take you to a dozen properties in Hawthorne alone that clearly need to come down. But seeing what can be done and what has been done here certainly calls into question many of the demolitions we've seen and will see in Minneapolis. If this building can be saved, then virtually any structure could be salvageable. The key components that this structure had going for it was a desire to save it and partners who came together to make that desire a reality. Here's hoping we see more of that throughout NoMi.

Don Samuels Gives A "Stand Up And Say Hallelujah" Speech At Ackerberg Group Groundbreaking In NoMi

North Minneapolis marketing expert Pat Carney forwarded a link to numerous images he captured at yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony at 1200 Broadway, click here, part of exciting redevelopment and revitalization by the Ackerberg Group. No doubt some of the...

...movers and shakers who were present will be wanting images of themselves.

For those involved in their neighborhood associations, and other groups working toward massive revitalization, life in NoMi continues to be endless socialization, soirees, elbow-rubbing with big wigs, and delightful free refreshments; these pleasurable moments periodically punctuated by gritty struggle, click here for a good example.

According to both Pat Carney and Realtor Connie Nompelis, (No-bell-iss) Councilman Don Samuels was in fine form, and gave a rousing speech. Carney called it a "stand up and say hallelujah" speech. Nompelis said Samuels talked about how he always believed in North Minneapolis, and had for years, and now the prediction was coming to pass as evidenced by rampant revitalization. Therefore now was not the time to stand on the sidelines, but to believe and to buy property in North Minneapolis.

Has this blog mentioned how much NoMi wants Mayor Rybak to buy his next house in our neighborhood? Oh, yes, I think I did, click here. Right now, I'd settle for definitive word that Mayor Rybak is LOOKING at houses in North Minneapolis, and what neighborhoods are catching the mayor's eye.

If you're unhappy that you missed the Ackerberg Group soiree (like I did!) don't worry, there are two exciting NoMi social events happening on Saturday. Details will follow in my next two blog posts.

Groundbreaking At 1200 West Broadway--NoMi Progress Rolls Forward!

Stock Photo By John Hoff 

I sure wished I'd checked my text messages this morning, because then I might have taken in the groundbreaking event at 1200 West Broadway.

I tell you, life in NoMi is just endless socialization, public events, epic and colorful struggles (with neighborhood revitalization forces USUALLY coming out on top, decisively) and, of course, dinners at the ultra-affordable houses of friends. Connie Nompelis was the one who sent me word of the groundbreaking, with FIFTEEN MINUTES NOTICE. She is pictured in the stock photo above, to the left, with a distinguished older resident of the Eco Village, and Hawthorne Housing Director Jeff Skrenes. Jeff is wearing the "Navy seal casual" outfit he prefers when confronting slumlords armed with heavy equipment.

Well, though I couldn't be there to watch ground broken it appears no media or even the blogosphere covered this worthy event, so I will do my bit of public service by promulgating the details. This is yet another great project by the Ackerberg Group....

Here's what the Ackerberg Group would like everybody to know about their project at 1200 West Broadway:

The 1200 West Broadway project will renovate a vacant, two-story commercial building on Minneapolis’s Northside. Built originally as a four-plex in 1902, the building was expanded to become a mortuary in 1926 and expanded again in 1930. Most recently, a day care facility operated in the building.

The Ackerberg Group on behalf of Catalyst Community Partners will convert the building into office space and two storefronts that may house a community meeting room and a shared commercial kitchen.

The renovation of the 12,000 square foot building will include new ADA assessable restrooms, the addition of a vertical lift, mold and asbestos remediation, new building lobby, façade improvements, new mechanicals, new electrical, new tenant spaces and common areas, and more. The parking lot will see the addition of a bio retention area that will treat all run off on site. Native grasses will be planted in conjunction with the bio retention area.

This prime site is located in North Minneapolis at the intersection of Fremont Avenue and West Broadway. West Broadway is one of the city’s eight commercial corridors and is the "spine" of North Minneapolis. It has daily traffic counts of over 29,000. Both Fremont Avenue and West Broadway are currently major bus routes. The site is in close proximity to many significant Northside landmarks such as North High School, the YMCA, Cub Foods, Hawthorne Crossing shopping complex, and the newly renovated 1101 West Broadway.

Additionally, there are several major commercial developments slated for the next two years including a new YWCA and commercial space by Great Neighborhoods! Development Corporation, a potential major housing development several blocks west of the property, and the renovation of the city-owned “Delisi’s” building at Penn Avenue and West Broadway. The nearby Capri Theater is currently undergoing a major renovation.