Church's brewery proposal gets thumbs down at City Hall
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Nick Halter/Axios
Mount Olivet's plan to demolish an old church building in Southwest Minneapolis to make way for a brewery landed with a thud at City Hall.
The latest: The city's Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday against an application to tear down the 87-year-old 1700 Chapel on 50th Street.
Catch up quick: Mount Olivet Lutheran Church says the chapel is barely used and wants to instead construct a new, two-level building with a brewery on one side, a coffee house on the other and meeting rooms on a mezzanine level.
What they're saying: "There are reasonable alternatives to demolition that could at the very least be further explored," commissioner Namdi Alexander told church leaders at a hearing.
The other side: Mount Oliver Senior Pastor David Lose argued that the building is not historically significant and that preserving it would cost around $10 million, while building new would only cost $6-$6.5 million.
Alexander and other commissioners recommended he look into pursuing state and federal historic tax credits that would offset 40% of the project cost for rehabbing the building — which would make preserving cost the same as rebuilding.
What we're watching: Lose said he's planning to appeal the decision because the layout of the old building would make a brewery difficult. Appeals — which go before a city committee — must be filed within 10 days.
- He also has concerns that the foundation might need to be replaced because it sits on a wet area near Minnehaha Creek.