Restaurateur John Rimarcik has plans to turn one of the oldest original buildings in the Minneapolis Warehouse Historic District into a mixed-use office and possible restaurant space after years of it sitting in disrepair.
The Lowry and Morrison block, which consists of a three-story brick building on Washington Avenue N. on the corner of 2nd Avenue N., has many of its windows boarded up, but still retains much of its integrity, according to documents made available Tuesday that were submitted to the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.
"We have been trying to do this for years, and we are finally going to do it," said Rimarcik, who has owned the building for about 15 years and hopes to take advantage of federal and state tax incentives to help with the renovations.
He acknowledged the building's current appearance has been a blight on the neighborhood.
The structure currently houses an art gallery and storage space.
The nearly 22,000-square-foot space would have offices on the second and third floor, with the main floor to be occupied by a retail or restaurant tenant, Rimarcik said. Tenants have not been solidified.
While there has been interest because of the location, the area's biggest challenge for commercial tenants is the limited parking in the neighborhood, he said.
Rimarcik, who owns several Twin Cities eateries including the nearby Monte Carlo and Runyon's, said the restaurant would not be something he operates.
