Coliseum Building and Hall

{{Short description|Historic building in Minneapolis, US}} {{Infobox NRHP | name = Coliseum Building and Hall | nrhp_type = nrhp | image = Coliseum Building damaged.jpg | caption = The boarded up Coliseum Building in 2022 viewed from the southwest | location = Minneapolis, Minnesota | coordinates = {{coord|44|56|55.32|N|93|13|57.72|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Minnesota#USA | area = | built = 1917 | architect = L. J. Johnson (1917 building); H.E. Halden (1923 addition) | architecture = Classical Revival | added = March 24, 2022 | refnum = 100007557 <ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> }} thumb|Coliseum Building The '''Coliseum Building and Hall''' is a historic structure in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is located in the Longfellow community at the intersection of East Lake Street and 27th Avenue South. The building was constructed in 1917 and originally served as a department store and dance hall. In 2020, the building was damaged by arson during riots after the murder of George Floyd.

The Coliseum Building and Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

== Description == The Coliseum Building and Hall is located at 2708 East Lake Street in Minneapolis, and a center of the "downtown" Longfellow community. It was designed by architect L. J. Johnson in the late-19th-and-early-20th-century Classical Revival style. The building is rectangular in shape and features three stories, a brick façade, and a decorative parapet. The first level features store fronts.<ref name=":3" /> Over its history, the structure has had several additions, and has been referred to as the Coliseum Ballroom and as Podany’s Warehouse. Its architectural significance is for the period of 1917 – 1973.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (OMB Control No. 1024-0018): Coliseum Building and Hall |url=https://mn.gov/admin/assets/CLG%20and%20SRB_Coliseum%20Building%20and%20Hall%20sm_tcm36-513773.pdf |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=Minnesota Department of Administration}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Department store and dance hall === In its early history, the building featured a Freeman's department store largely serving Scandinavian immigrants in the area. In the 1970s, the department store closed and after being sold it became the Podany Building and featured a dance hall. In the early 2000s, the building went through redevelopment when it reclaimed its original moniker.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":38">{{Cite news |last=Nathanson |first=Iric |date=2020-06-05 |title=Exploring the rich history of 27th and Lake |work=MinnPost |url=https://www.minnpost.com/community-sketchbook/2020/06/exploring-the-rich-history-of-27th-and-lake/ |access-date=2020-06-05}}</ref>

=== George Floyd protests === left|thumb|The Coliseum Building amongst ruins in the aftermath of rioting in 2020. By the 2020s, the multi-use Coliseum Building featured a health clinic, restaurants, and other businesses. Over several days between May 27 to 29, 2020, the building was vandalized and severely damaged by arson during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and all of the tenants vacated the structure. The scorched brick façade, however, remained standing.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last1=Penrod |first1=Josh |last2=Sinner |first2=C.J. |date=2020-07-13 |title=Buildings damaged in Minneapolis, St. Paul after riots |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/a-deeper-look-at-areas-most-damaged-by-rioting-looting-in-minneapolis-st-paul/569930671/ |access-date=2022-05-05}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite news |last=Du |first=Susan |date=2020-05-21 |title=A better Lake Street? A daring hope for riot-torn corridor |work=Star Tribune |url=https://www.startribune.com/lake-street-fights-on-minneapolis-george-floyd-riot/600174854/ |access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref>

=== Redevelopment and preservation === A $26 million redevelopment project was announced in late 2021 for the property, which was purchased by Seward Redesign, a non-profit development firm.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Maya |first=Cynthia |date=2021-06-01 |title=Group Aims to Rebuild Lake Street's Coliseum Building After Uprising Fire |url=https://www.minnesotamonthly.com/lifestyle/group-aims-to-rebuild-lake-streets-coliseum-building-after-uprising-fire/ |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=Minnesota Monthly |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Chhith |first=Alex |title=Coalition hopes to give Lake Street's Coliseum Building new life |url=https://www.startribune.com/coalition-hopes-to-give-lake-street-s-coliseum-building-new-life/600060217/ |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=Star Tribune}}</ref>

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Register Database and Research - National Register of Historic Places (Reference Number 100007557) |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=U.S. National Park Service |language=en}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* Nathanson, Iric (2021-09-3). "[https://www.longfellownokomismessenger.com/stories/a-look-back-at-the-history-of-the-coliseum-building,3340 A look back at the history of the Coliseum Building]". ''Longfellow-Nokomis Messenger''. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota}} Category:National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis