Metropolitan Building

The Metropolitan Building (originally the Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building) was razed in 1961 and, as a victim of urban revitalization efforts to clean up Washington Avenue/the Gateway District in the 60s, was one of the events that sparked the historic preservation movement directly after. It was believed these old buildings were scaring people away from downtown, and thus became one of many great designs that met its end at the hands of a wrecking ball. Minneapolis had a "skid row" around the Washington Avenue/Hennepin Avenue intersection, which is now covered by surface level parking lots and green spaces in downtown Minneapolis. Those weren’t always there. Imagine a downtown Minneapolis full of historic structures next time you drive through.

The Minnesota History Magazine has a great summary of the building in the fall 1992 article, "Ghost of the Gateway: The Metropolitan Building, Minneapolis." Click on the title to access it!

The loss of “the Mighty Met,” as it was called, was a real tragedy. Think of what the Gateway District (Washington, Nicollet, and Hennepin Avenues) would look like now if that building was still there!

These photos are a sort of illustrated journey of the iron balustrade sections that come from the Metropolitan Building, some of which we had in our inventory. The interior of that building was truly something breathtaking and unique. The demolition of the Met is often pointed to as the watershed moment that sparked the preservation activism efforts here in Minneapolis and even around the United States. A two-day demolition sale is the real reason why these balustrades are still floating around- but they are still very rare. You can never expect to just run upon one of these at just any old salvage place. These are museum-grade examples of the ironwork that graced the Metropolitan and other Minneapolis buildings built in the late 1800s. The slanted rail is from the stairway sets. How cool is that?