Coliseum Building Rehab Loan
I’m excited to share that the Council authorized a $1.5 million loan from our Commercial Property Development Fund for the rehabilitation of the Coliseum building located at 27th Ave S and E Lake St.
Many know this building as Denny’s on E Lake Street. The building covers nearly an entire block and was badly damaged during the summer of 2020. The Coliseum Building is going to be renovated through a collaboration of Seward Redesign, Chris Montana of Du Nord Social Spirits, the first Black Owned Distillery in the nation; Janice Downing of CommonSense Consulting@Work; and Alicia Belton of Urban Design Perspectives.
In addition to Black-owned small business, the Coliseum will have an event center and training facilities. The rehabilitation will maintain the beautiful historic exterior while supporting local Black business and ownership and actualizing a community-led vision for the intersection of Lake & Minnehaha.
WHO
Redesign, Inc. Community Developers
WHERE
WHEN
Anticipated Grand Opening Summer 2023
WHY
Advancing equitable development in the areas most affected by the civil uprising of 2020.
Read More about the Coliseum Building
Poems and colorful graphic design by some of the Twin Cities’ leading visual and literary artists will wrap the historic Coliseum Building on East Lake and 27th Street, marking the completion of its Phase One redevelopment by Redesign, Inc.
The redevelopment will provide 85,000 sq. ft of commercial/retail/office space and incubator space for local BIPOC professionals and BIPOC-led firms. It will serve as a retail and commercial hub for the East Lake Street community and catalyze future adjacent development.
In February 2021, Redesign signed a purchase agreement with the sellers of the Coliseum Building (2700 E Lake Street) to protect it from demolition and recreate a space that offers opportunities for small businesses on Lake Street to thrive.