Minnesota Hotel
- Development cost: $1.05 million
- Completion date: 1994 & 2004
- VIEW PHOTO GALLERY
The three-story 30,000 sq ft, built in 1909 in the 20th Century Commercial design style, is located in Portland’s Chinatown District. The building has a rich history as an exemplary piece of Portland’s Chinatown heritage, having served as not only a Chinese-owned hotel but also a host of many Asian businesses.
The building is considered a Primary Contributing historic structure consisting of brick laid in a common bond pattern with quoins detailing the corners. It bears brick panels embellishing the spandrel panels above the second floor windows. A projecting belt cornice separates the first and second floors. The original façade renovation included removing from the storefront level all the veneer brick installed in the 1950s. Venerable replaced missing wood molding that was replicated and installed as the top border of the storefront level and stucco was applied at the columns and painted brick-color.
When we started the project in 1994, the building was 100% vacant and the upper floors were in disrepair. Venerable fully redeveloped and designed the building with a 9,000 square foot first floor tenant and with 100 square foot to 2,000 square foot offices on the second floor. The third floor was designed for creative/artist workspaces ranging from 200 square foot to 900 square foot. The project was one of the first on the North Transit Mall and set the tone for redevelopment in the neighborhood.
Venerable’s renovation included exposing the brick walls, high ceilings, wood floors, adding carpeting, improving the stairwells into fire-rated exits and partitioning the space to accommodate multiple tenants. The third floor included replicating woodwork and a historically correct paint scheme throughout.
In 2004, SERA Architects leased the 9,000 sq ft first floor of the building. SERA and the owner made additional improvements including a complete facade upgrade, adding storefront windows with transoms and a new entry, seismic upgrade of the space and restructuring of SERA’s interior including new floors, lighting and office configuration. In 2006, SERA expanded to occupy the 8,600 sq ft on the second floor which SERA updated for their use and designed for LEED platinum.