Minneapolis, MN
When these Minneapolis buildings went down, no one cared. Too ugly, they said. But they were wrong.
It’s a cautionary tale about sacrificing the unfashionable past for the allure of the new. That’s true, but we’re also a bit tired of the tale. And not everyone thinks it was a lovely thing, to be honest. It was a monster of a building, redeemed by a spacious interior whose light court would make for a fine hotel today. But that’s all long gone now.
There were other landmark buildings that also were torn down because they were eyesores or too old or lacked distinction. We revisit some of the bygone ones that were razed but maybe shouldn’t have, and ask: What purpose might they serve today?
The old Federal Building in Minneapolis was at the corner of Marquette Avenue and 3rd Street with the Metropolitan Building on the left. It featured a mishmash of styles that were oddly proportioned and had an ungainly ugly-duckling appeal. (Dwight W. Miller/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
1. The Federal Building
When it was finished in 1889, there wasn’t anything like it in Minneapolis. Its Roman motifs, French roofs and Greek columns were heaped together and topped with an underwhelming tower that looked like a pinky finger sticking out of a thick fist. If there was a design contest that included other civic buildings from the same era, the Federal Building would have come in fourth. The occupants were government employees, including the post office, U.S. District Court and other federal offices.
Why we should miss it: For all its faults, it still spoke in the classical language. And downtown today is not abundant with references to Greek and Roman design.
What it would be today: A hotel, probably. Or it might have been gutted and used as a museum. In either case it would have dramatic lighting at night, and while this would make it a nifty part of downtown, it still wouldn’t be a particularly good building.
The Oneida Building was at 4th Street and Marquette Avenue. (Star Tribune)
2. The Oneida Building
Built in 1888 by the Minneapolis-based firm of Long & Kees, the Oneida was a seven-story structure that piled one idea on top of the other. A skinny slice of stone, it commanded its corner with confidence for decades, but eventually aged out as more attractive buildings took its B- and C-list tenants — the usual mix of insurance agents, lawyers, bankers. In the end it was not demolished, but humiliated by being reduced to two stories. The stumpy two-story base served as a podium for billboards, until the building was finally put out of its misery.
The Oneida Building was reduced to two stories in the 1940s. (Star Tribune)
Why we should miss it: Downtowns need old peculiar buildings with odd histories and evocative tenants like the Yuen Faung Low chow mein restaurant, one of the city’s early Asian eateries.
A major traffic shift will start on one of Minnesota’s busiest highways Wednesday morning.
Eastbound lanes of Interstate 394 between Louisiana Avenue in St. Louis Park and downtown Minneapolis will be down to two lanes, with no EZ-Pass options. That means getting from the west metro to downtown Minneapolis could be tricky. Officials say drivers should expect increased traffic around St. Louis Park through the fall.
The change comes as westbound I-394 fully reopens after several months of construction, plus a return-to-normal entry to westbound I-394 from westbound Interstate 94 after the Lowry Hill Tunnel.
Crews have been working on the $67 million project since July 2025 to repair and restore more than 30 bridges across the 394 corridor.
While eastbound drivers are finding fewer lanes, westbound drivers are finding freedom
Nathan Bowie with the Minnesota Department of Transportation says construction has been going well and while the reopening of the westbound lanes marks an important milestone, the work is far from over.
“We understand that construction can be an inconvenience. It can be frustrating,” Bowie said. “We’re really asking folks to be patient, plan ahead, give yourself some extra travel time.”
The project also includes several ramp closures, including eastbound I-394 ramps at Penn and Cedar Lake avenues and the connection to westbound I-94.
Bryn Mawr resident Dan Spengler said he’s noticed more drivers shifting to neighborhood streets to avoid backups and expects that to only get worse.
“I believe in what they’re doing, but they need to manage the neighborhoods better because people are driving through the neighborhood with nowhere to go, so they are speeding through neighborhoods,” Spengler said.
Bowie says crews will be putting on signs in neighborhoods where traffic is expected to swell, reminding folks of the speed limit.
Businesses along I-394, like Good Day Cafe, are also feeling the squeeze
“We’d like to have all the roads open, yes,” said manager Jamie Flynn. “I mean, right now we’re very fortunate, for like I said, the guests and sort of the people that know to come here that have been for years and years.”
The new traffic pattern is expected to stay in place through November. Officials want drivers to follow posted detours and pay attention to ensure a smooth transition.
More information about the project is available on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s website.
Minneapolis, MN
Man sentenced to federal prison for armed robberies of St. Paul bank, Minneapolis Walgreens
A 26-year-old man was sentenced this week to 2 ½ years in federal prison for robbing a Walgreens in Minneapolis, then a St. Paul bank the next day.
Korey Maurese Hale of Minneapolis pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court of Minnesota to one count of armed bank robbery in connection with the June 2024 hold ups.
Hale used the same .22-caliber Mossberg rifle in both robberies, making off with about $200 from Walgreens at Chicago Avenue and 43rd Street and approximately $1,833 from BMO Bank at Snelling and Randolph avenues, according to his January plea agreement. St. Paul police arrested Hale near the bank shortly after the heist.
In an interview with a St. Paul police investigator, Hale said people were trying to kill him and voices in his head made him rob the bank, according to initial charges filed in Ramsey County District Court.
Hale was civilly committed as mentally ill and chemically dependent in September 2024. Eight months later, he was ordered to undergo a federal psychiatric and psychological examination, which found his medication treatment was effective and he was competent to stand trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Forbes wrote in a presentencing memo.
Hale’s sentencing Monday at the federal courthouse in St. Paul includes five years of supervised release following incarceration.
“Once released, if Hale continues to take his medications, continues to receive mental health treatment, and stays away from controlled substances, he will dramatically reduce his risk of recidivism,” Forbes wrote in the memo. “A five-year term of supervision will best ensure that the federal crimes in this case are Hale’s last.”
New analysis shows how misconduct allegations have been handled in the Minneapolis Police Department a week after an ACLU report found that concerns over policing tactics have continued. FOX 9’s Soyoung Kim has the latest.
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