MINNEAPOLIS — It's been a staple at the intersection of Lagoon and Hennepin avenues in Minneapolis since 1916, but the Uptown Theater has sat vacant since last summer after the previous tenants were evicted.
It was a move which left the historic block practically empty.
"We’re the only business on this block," said Marta Koepke, co-owner of ROAM Furniture & Lighting.
But that’s all about to change as the Uptown Theater undergoes a major overhaul.
According to a spokesperson from the the city, the owners of the building, Lagoon Partners LLC submitted a permit to the city to add an additional 10,000 square feet of new floor to the theater, converting it into an entertainment venue which would seat 2,500 people. Meaning business owners like Koepke, whose store is in the same building as the theater, will lose a portion of her space or be forced out.
"Yeah they’re just banging away, you know, doing what they’re doing, getting it built out," said Koepke.
For Koepke, the idea of renovating the space to attract people back to uptown is exciting, considering it's been a bit of a ghost town in the wake of recent violent crimes.
"It's just been really sad because vacancy leads to a feeling of unsafety,” he said.
Which is why leaders with the Uptown Association are working to revitalize the area in hopes of attracting investors to help rebuild.
"The Seven Points Uptown, which used to be formally Calhoun Square, they have some exciting news with a whole new concept restaurant that will be mini golf and an art walk," explained Jill Osiecki, Executive Director of the Uptown Association. She went on to say, "we’re prepping for the Uptown Art Fair, which we haven’t been able to do for two years.”
As for the businesses that remain…
"We truly are a community working together and that’s been really nice to see," said Osiecki.
With the hope of that resiliency lending itself to the return of what used to be for the Uptown district.
"We’ve always had that really vibrant feeling and its exciting to get that back," said Osiecki.
A city spokesperson says the building permit was issued to Lagoon Partners LLC in October 2021. There was a zoning enforcement violation issued at the end of November for some exterior work that did not go through the appropriate Historic Preservation review. A Certificate of No Change (CNC) request is now being reviewed. Once that review is completed/approved, they will be able to continue work on the primary permit.
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