North Loop warehouse now remodeled into boutique hotel

A historic warehouse in the North Loop of Minneapolis will open Thursday as the new Hewing Hotel, one of the most-anticipated hospitality openings in the city this year.

The 124-room Hewing, which will welcome guests to the former Jackson Building at the corner of Washington and 3rd avenues N., has a luxurious vibe with dark wood floors, warm furnishings and Nordic-inspired decor.

"Everything is born from the local market, the local region, the history of the region. … We are positioning the hotel for a local and timeless experience," said Mario Tricoci, chief executive of Aparium Hotel Group, the Chicago-based owner of the Hewing. Aparium specializes in developing boutique hotels that pay homage to their location.

Aparium also manages the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, which opened eight years ago in a remodeled warehouse. That hotel is owned by Tim Dixon of Fe Equus Development, who is also an investor in the Hewing.

The Hewing name, which refers to the process of squaring beams from round logs, is a nod to the logging industry's history in Minnesota and is portrayed in the herringbone designs of the hotel's carpets.

The hotel also features a rooftop sauna, spa pool and bar. In addition to guests, the hotel will sell a membership to locals for access to the amenities at an annual fee of $1,750.

The rooms, with exposed timber ceilings and brick walls, have other local touches, such as hand-painted deer antlers, custom furniture from Minneapolis-based Blu Dot and specially made wallpaper.

The Hewing's main-floor restaurant, called Tullibee, will be led by executive chef Grae Nonas, who worked previously in New York, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, and was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef award this year.

The wine cellar and private dining space is behind an old vault and there is a butcher room in the basement.

The Hewing is the latest in a spurt of six hotel openings this fall in Minneapolis and St. Paul, adding 1,000 rooms to the Twin Cities hospitality market of about 40,000 rooms. Even amid that new competition, Tricoci said the Hewing would stand out from "the same old run-of-the-mill products."

Dixon said, "We're not a convention hotel. We're not a large group hotel. ... We just need to find 124 people every day that want to pay a premium to experience something different, authentic and local."

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495

Twitter: @nicolenorfleet