urbanMSP

The new billboard is also up. Welcome back Cotty.

I hope you're kidding...but I have a feeling you're not. Why is this billboard allowed to deface this building? Why would the restaurant want that crap next to their entrance?

He has a history in South, and purposely put his face on billboards to be defiled. I think it's a unique and excellent example of the character and resilience of MN and Minneapolis. And I think it's always been a billboard... does anyone know for sure? So wouldn't it then be historically accurate to keep it?

He WANTS people to deface his billboards?

Not initially, but now, yes.

I had no idea Cotty was some kind of cultural icon...

That's pretty cool that he embraced the graffiti. Not many people would do that.

I still would rather not have a billboard on the side of this re-beautified building. A sign/menu for the restaurant (and/or other tenants) would be preferable. Outdoor menus rock and draw customers in...more restaurants should be doing that.

The gave of the single story building is now painted, and they are installing roof trusses between the gap!

I could not quite tell but it looked like they were adding some iron supports for the ground floor windows. Does anyone know if this would have been something that was in the origianal plan when the building was build?

Are you sure it's not just the window framing?

There was a round column in the larger window facing Hennepin, which will be wrapped in the window framing.

I walked by recently and there was some kind of glass that was put up, but I'm not 100% sure it was the final plate glass windows.

Ah yes, Windows are sloooowly going in.

Ah yes, Windows are sloooowly going in.

I kinda thought that the space next to Rye would be an outdoor patio, but with the roof trusses and roofing going on I thing that might be a separate bar area possibly. But it is good to see progress with this building. Still not sure what is happening with the upper levels of this building.

I thought upper levels are supposed to be office space

I thought upper levels are supposed to be office space

yeah. they had an advertisement for office space on the plywood a while back

Cotty is back!

They had an Ad for the MCAD student art sale up today (which is something that Lowry Cotty frequently supports on his ad space) Complete with a 'Picasso Cotty' Cubist portrait of him!

ROFL the guy is unstoppable.

What's going in this building?

The people behind Cafe 128 and Bar La Grasa are opening a steak house called "The Burch Steakhouse" with office space above.

so the entire 1st floor is a restaurant?

I have to say, Burch Pharmacy is what has recently inspired me to want to have a "ma and pop" pharmacy to go to instead of Walgreens and CVS -- where attitude and long lines reign supreme!

so the entire 1st floor is a restaurant?

I have to say, Burch Pharmacy is what has recently inspired me to want to have a "ma and pop" pharmacy to go to instead of Walgreens and CVS -- where attitude and long lines reign supreme!

I think so, and what's even weirder is I can't figure out what they are doing on the corner... it seems there is an entrance framed in on Hen towards the north side of the building, but it appears that they haven't framed a space for an entrance on the corner or anywhere else on Franklin...

There are two doorways further north towards downtown, one in the old Burch cardshop space and one in the additional 1 story space that had its roof ripped off. The original entrance on the corner and the old grand entrance to the dance hall on Hennepin are glassed in. Looks like an awkward rear entrance.