Asana Partners engaged NELSON Worldwide’s Asset Strategy team to rejuvenate the Colonial Warehouse in Minneapolis’s North Loop. This historic building underwent extensive renovations across its ground-floor lounge and upper-level corridors, totaling 3,500 square feet. Asana Partners aimed to preserve the building’s character while creating a modern mixed-use space, aligning with their investing strategy in vibrant urban neighborhoods. NELSON led the transformation, incorporating features like floor-to-ceiling glass, a versatile kitchenette, and historical elements such as repurposed boiler covers behind the bar. The design focused on maintaining an industrial yet contemporary aesthetic with wood and concrete flooring materials.
Set within the bustling North Loop neighborhood, the redesigned ground level of Colonial Warehouse aimed to complement the area’s lively retail scene. Inspired by a speakeasy ambiance, the lounge featured distinctive design elements such as painted grate-wire mesh ceilings and rope walls for partitioning. NELSON’s work extended to refreshing the first-floor corridors and adding new pocket lounges and collaboration spaces on the upper floors. The project received positive feedback from tenants, with over 90% occupancy reported by leading leasing agencies even before completion, showcasing the success of Asana Partners’ vision and NELSON’s design expertise in bringing this historic landmark into the contemporary era.
