Historic building damaged during George Floyd protests reopens as Black-owned business incubator

A historic south Minneapolis building that was set on fire during the unrest after George Floyd’s death has reopened following a $30 million renovation.

Redeveloped as a Black-owned business incubator, the Coliseum will be home to the relocated Du Nord Cocktail Room along with a New Orleans-style restaurant, Lagniappe, set to open in late summer or early fall, and several other small businesses.

Du Nord Cocktail Room owner Shanelle Montana purchased the Coliseum building, along with architect Alicia Belton, business consultant Janice Downing, and the community development company Redesign.

The building, two blocks from the city’s former Third Precinct police station, was heavily damaged by fire and water from the building sprinklers during the 2020 unrest following the murder of George Floyd. It has sat vacant for more than three years.

“This isn’t just a building, this was a part of a major racial reckoning in our community, a call for justice and this building is a part of that story,” Redesign Executive Director Andy Hestness said at a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday.

The ribbon-cutting was held to coincide with the Soul of the Southside Juneteenth festival.

Since the Coliseum building reopened for tours during the city’s Doors Open event last month, people have been pleasantly surprised by the restoration work, Belton said. The building is filled with artwork and has community meeting and work spaces.

“As part of the healing in the neighborhood, this is a place where people can do life,” she said. “Where you want to come and meet your neighbors to grab a cup of coffee.”

Shanelle Montana said she and her husband, Chris, have lived in New Orleans for the past four years and were inspired to bring a bit of that experience back to Minnesota where they are originally from.

“[New Orleans] brought this warmth and spicy, colorful nature to our lives and we’re hoping to bring a little slice of that here to Minneapolis and to Lake Street,” she said.

Du Nord Social Spirits, the first Black-owned distillery in the country , closed its south Minneapolis cocktail room in 2020 due to the pandemic . The cocktail room stayed closed after it was damaged during the Floyd protests.

Montana said she hopes to open the revived Du Nord Cocktail Room and Lagniappe in August or September. She said the goal was to create a semi-formal space where the bar will provide more traditional night food such as po’ boys and will incorporate distilled liquors from all over the country.

“I look forward to someone walking through the doors on a cold winter evening, [or] a crisp fall night, and getting this rush of color and spice,” Montana said.

Taylor Smrikarova, real estate development director and project manager at Redesign, said the restoration is just the beginning and is an example of the equitable development the community deserves following the murder of George Floyd.

The Coliseum will allow Black businesses to own the real estate alongside their businesses and build intergenerational wealth, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting.

“It has been a right that has largely been denied to our Black community for so many generations,” Frey said. “Right here on East Lake Street, we’re going to make sure that difference is made.”

Council Member Robin Wonsley said the project, spearheaded by Black business owners, helps neighbors see the area redevelop with equity and justice at the center.

“I thank all of the co-owners for being a beacon of hope in a moment where it feels uncertain of what we’re going to do in this area,” she said.

Funding for the project included a city loan , along with historic tax credits, state and private dollars and federal energy funding.

When the three-story Freeman’s Department Store opened in 1917, it was at the heart of a thriving business district. The building underwent several remodels in subsequent decades and was home to a Denny’s restaurant and a health clinic before it was damaged, then boarded up in 2020.

Owner and tenant Belton said she and Dowling had been looking to purchase a building for many years and were encouraged by Smrikarova, who was a client of Belton’s at the time, to pursue the project. Its space, its history in the neighborhood and its access to nearby light-rail and bus lines were attractive, she said.

“It’s a bit larger than we anticipated, but you walk through the space and you say ‘You know what? This feels right,’” Belton said.

Downing owns CommonSense Consulting@Work, and Belton owns Urban Design Perspectives, an architecture firm. They said they hope to continue to grow their practices and do work in the surrounding area.

As part of the restoration process, some of the history of the building was preserved, including a wall on the second floor that’s a reminder of the fire damage caused during the George Floyd protests in 2020.

Redesign’s Hestness said during the fires, heat and smoke traveled through the building, and as the sprinklers went off, the smoke mixed with the water creating a drip pattern down the walls across the second floor.

“We wanted to save that and have a remembrance to that time, that protest and also to George Floyd,” he said.

Another aspect that was preserved was the remnants of a staircase down the basement wall to represent the story of being an entrepreneur on Lake Street and having a dedicated basement and commercial hub for the neighborhood.

While the history of the building remains, there is plenty of room for growth with 30 spaces curated for tenants. Downing said they hope to occupy at least 25% of the building this year and reach 85% to 95% occupancy by its fourth year.

“I really want to work and smile and see other people like me using the building,” Downing said.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify Shanelle Montana’s ownership of the Du Nord Cocktail Room and her ownership role in the Coliseum building.

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