Western Container Building/Arctic Cat HQ - 500 3rd Street N

[mplser]

It looks like the original portion has black mullions and the new addition has silver mullions.? Went back and found the drawings and it looks like they are all supposed to be black. It looks pretty odd to me right now. Hope the silver is covered over completely when the windows are installed.

That is very strange, because aren't all the windows on the original building brand new as well? why wouldn't they match? I'm sure they will be painted or something.

[Nathan]

Do windows like that ever come plastic wrapped?

[MNdible]

Having seen the renderings, the addition is stylistically different than the rest of the building. The cladding and the scale of the windows are different than the historic portion of the building, so I don't see any particular reason why they would have to match.

[relux]

I've always liked this building and have been following it pretty closely. The last couple weeks have been pretty heavy in work, noticed painters parked outside overnight working last week. From the looks of it, there is going to be some cool contrast with the new and old when finished.

[trkaiser]

As part of Cat being purchased by Textron, they are going to be closing their fancy new North Loop office. Too bad, but it sounds like this whole deal was essential to the company's continued survival -- at least according to my sources in the local powersports world.

[twincitizen]

Pretty funny that they'll end up occupying the building for a shorter period of time than it took to renovate.

[grant1simons2]

Hey, maybe we can split up that first floor into some multiple small retail spaces!

Would compliment the retail going in across the street nicely.

[ztr421]

^^ It'd also be nice because Arctic Cat has window cling things on the corner windows of the building; a new retail space would probably open them up.

A few months back the HPC had the window coverings on their agenda - they're against the historic design guidelines, but Arctic Cat said they were needed because they do their research and development in that space so they need the privacy. I think the staff report recommended denial of a variance, but the final vote was for approval. Jackie Cherryhomes was Arctic Cat's consultant/contact for the application to HPC, so I guess she knows how to get what she wants.

[grant1simons2]

Bizjournals got a hold of this and now everyone is freaking out. People think this is the kiss of death for North Loop, somehow indicating that the market is turning. I'll never understand.

[VacantLuxuries]

Yeah, how in the world will they fill a space in the most desirable neighborhood in Minneapolis?

[amiller92]

And how does an event that has nothing to do with the local real estate market - AC being sold - have anything to do with the local real estate market?

[5th Ave Guy]

Bizjournals got a hold of this and now everyone is freaking out. People think this is the kiss of death for North Loop, somehow indicating that the market is turning. I'll never understand.

Pretty obvious this is unrelated to the local real estate market, no?

[grant1simons2]

Not for some. Just like the closing of Sports Authority when some people thought it was the fault of Nicollet Mall construction.

[5th Ave Guy]

I did see one tweet hitting on the rush hour traffic in the neighborhood and I can attest to the fact that it's been brutal, but that's driven by the Washington closure pushing traffic back into all the side streets.

[xandrex]

The only people I see talking about it on Twitter are mostly joking around. Haven't seen any Chicken Littles just yet.

A move to St. Cloud or Thief River Falls. Yikes...so much for moving downtown to "attract millennials."

[go4guy]

There was a company that recently decided to move to the Baker Center I believe, and went on record as saying "The North Loop Sucks!".

But isn't the North Loop better for residential and retail anyways?