The Block Formerly Known as E

Historic Groundbreaking Marks Milestone in the Development of Minneapolis' Entertainment District

Sidebar: A Look Back, A Look Forward
1884	Hennepin Avenue's history as an entertainment district began in the 1880s with the building of the luxurious West Hotel, which was anchored at 5th and Hennepin.
1910s	By the early 1900s, the Hennepin Avenue side of Block E is populated with pool halls and small shops, not unlike what Block E resembled in the early 1980s before it was torn down to make way for a new development. Across the street, where City Center is today, was the Grand Theatre, offering "refined vaudeville" and "photo plays." The Shubert Theatre was built at 20 Seventh Street North in 1910. It started as a playhouse and was later transformed into a movie theatre called the Academy Theatre.
1970s - mid 1980s	Block E gradually gains the dubious distinction as Minneapolis' most notorious block. The block's most infamous business is Moby Dick's, considered one of the toughest bars in the Upper Midwest. Other businesses included the Best Steakhouse, the Rand Hotel and Brady's Pub.
Late 1988	Buildings on Block E are torn down to make way for new development.
March 2000	Minneapolis City Council approves the redevelopment plan proposed by McCaffery Interests for Block E.
March 2000	McCaffery Interests and Graves Hospitality Corp. secure Renaissance Hotels by Marriott for Block E.
June 2000	McCaffery Interests signs Crown Theatres as an anchor tenant.
August 31, 2000	McCaffery Interests signs GameWorks as the third and final Block E entertainment complex anchor tenant. McCaffery Interests, Inc. and the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA) meet closing deadline.
October 6, 2000	Groundbreaking on the Block Formerly Known as E entertainment complex.
September 2002	Expected completion of the Block Formerly Known as E entertainment complex.

MINNEAPOLIS (Friday, October 6, 2000) — It's been a long, strange trip, but today, the "Block Formerly Known as E" is no more. What was once Minneapolis' most notorious block, occupied by adult bookstores and movie theatres and the infamous Moby Dick's Bar, will soon be transformed into one of the Twin Cities' most exciting entertainment destinations.

This morning, Chicago-based McCaffery Interests and the City of Minneapolis broke ground on the construction of a new, $134-million, 200,000 square-foot multi-purpose hotel-entertainment-retail complex located in the heart of Minneapolis' growing entertainment district.

The groundbreaking took place at Block E, a block bounded by Hennepin Avenue and 1st Avenue North, between 6th and 7th Streets. In stark contrast to the block's checkered history, the groundbreaking ceremony took place with the construction of the new Dorsey and Whitney office tower in the background, and right down the block from Minneapolis' burgeoning theatre district. Dan McCaffery, president of McCaffery Interests, and Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, among others, conducted the ceremony, which was capped off with a backhoe knocking down a 16-foot graphic of the letter E to symbolize the knocking down of the past.

"This new hotel-entertainment-retail complex is very important to the future of Minneapolis," said Mayor Sayles Belton. "I believe it will serve as a critical link between Minneapolis' Warehouse District and the downtown retail-financial center. The City has worked hard to secure a development project that will provide people of all ages, and especially families, with new entertainment choices that enhance downtown Minneapolis as a premier destination for arts, entertainment and sports. Today, it finally becomes a reality."

The new complex, for which an official name has yet to be determined, will be anchored by the four-star, 255-room Renaissance Hotel by Marriott; Crown Theatres, a 17-screen, stadium-seating cinema with accommodations for more than 4,000 patrons; and GameWorks, a nationally recognized entertainment venue created by Steven Spielberg. The facility also will include several dozen entertainment-retail tenants that will be named in coming months. When the facility is completed in September 2002, it will create 1,200 job opportunities, and it will provide a vital link between the Target Center and the Minneapolis Warehouse District to the City's downtown core via City Center.

"I believe when all is said and done, Twin Cities residents and visitors will say 'WOW,'" says McCaffery. "This facility will be a jewel in Minneapolis' crown and it will seal Minneapolis' growing national reputation for outstanding arts and entertainment. It will provide another exciting entertainment option for Minnesota residents as well as those visiting the Twin Cities for fun or work."

"The Block E project has been one of the most challenging redevelopment projects that the City of Minneapolis has faced in a long time," added Minneapolis City Council President Jackie Cherryhomes. "But it also offers a wonderful opportunity to create a new environment for our residents and their families, by providing more compelling reasons to visit downtown Minneapolis and take advantage of all of the exciting things there are to see and do here."

According to James Graves, president and CEO of Graves Hospitality Corporation, the developer of the Renaissance Hotel by Marriott, the complex will be constructed by PCL Construction Services, Inc., a nationally recognized construction firm that built City Center, the Dain Rauscher tower and the new Science Museum of Minnesota. The architect for the project is Chicago-based Antunovich Associates.

"The sophisticated design, the location and the quality of tenants will make this a world-class development," said James Graves. "This is a project the City of Minneapolis will be able to point to years from now as a role model of success. That's why Renaissance Hotels wanted to be involved."

Financing for the retail portion of the Block E project is provided by ULLICO, the Union Labor Life Insurance Company, of Washington, D.C. ULLICO is a nationally recognized advisor to union pension funds including the J for Jobs Fund. The Renaissance Hotel is being financed by Associated Bank Minnesota, which is headquartered in Green Bay, Wis.

"We're proud to be a part of this project," said Robert A. Georgine, chairman, president and CEO of ULLICO. "Minneapolis is a progressive city. It's respectful of its workers and has a tradition of supporting the union movement. This is our fourth project with McCaffery Interests, Inc., and we have every expectation that it will be one which we can all be proud of."

About McCaffery Interests, Inc.
Chicago-based McCaffery Interests, Inc., was founded in 1991 and is a nationally recognized developer of quality urban retail and entertainment centers. In addition to the Block E development, other current projects include Clarendon Centre The Market Common, Clarendon, a 10-acre multi-use complex in Arlington, Va.

- END -

Block E Contact:
Melissa R. Cohen
MRC Public Relations, Inc.
Ph: (763) 377-0272
Fx: (763) 377-0274
Cell: (612) 581-5456
email me