Duluth Port Authority moves back to the waterfront with new HQ

DULUTH – After more than two years landlocked in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the Duluth Seaway Port Authority returned to the waterfront to a new headquarters just in time for the kickoff of the 2021 shipping season.

The Port Authority in 2018 bought the Seaway Building on Rice's Point, a peninsula extending into the St. Louis and Superior Bays. The agency's 10 employees moved into the 13,500-square-foot space last week, and Port Authority Executive Director Deb DeLuca said they are working to lease out part of the building to two tenants.

The building was constructed in 1907 as a school, which served the residents who once lived on Rice's Point near the shipping docks. At the time, Duluth was handling more cargo than any other port in the country, DeLuca said.

"The scenery has changed significantly in the last 113 years, but the sense of pride is still here, and we are very excited to build on that energy and spirit," she said.

The total cost of the acquisition and renovations was $4 million, which was funded in part by a $2.37 million grant. DeLuca said the Port Authority moved to a temporary spot and out of its former headquarters on the now-industrial Rice's Point to allow aerial lift-truck maker Altec Inc. to expand.

The new headquarters also gives the Port Authority — which right now would be considered fully staffed at 12 employees — "room to grow," DeLuca said.

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Iron Range taconite mines to idle last spring and summer, iron ore shipments plummeted, causing a 23% drop in the Port of Duluth-Superior's total tonnage last year.

DeLuca said she is optimistic about the port's ability to bounce back during the upcoming season, which is slated to start next week.

The Soo Locks, which enable ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes, are opening 12 hours early Wednesday at the request of industry partners hoping to accelerate the movement of iron ore from Minnesota to steel mills out east.

"That's one of several indicators pointing to a good start for iron ore, which of course is our No. 1 cargo by tonnage," DeLuca said.

The minimal ice cover on Lake Superior should also help the port get off to a strong start, she added.

In December, the Port Authority acquired additional land on Rice's Point with its $950,000 purchase of the Duluth Lake Port dock, part of a long-term plan to revitalize the area.

The Port Authority is also scheduled to begin $20.5 million of work on its Clure Public Marine Terminal — which will get a new warehouse and a dock wall rehab — in 2022. The agency has a list of more than $40 million additional capital projects "needed to modernize, improve and expand our service offerings at the Clure terminal," according to a Port Authority spokesperson.

Katie Galioto • 612-673-4478