Back in the Day: So Long to the Old HQ
Groundbreaking for the 525 S. Eighth St. building in 1974.
Kraus-Anderson headquarters was on the move.
In March 2016, approximately 120 downtown Minneapolis employees relocated to a temporary office at 3433 Broadway Street NE. The move supported preparations for a new downtown Minneapolis headquarters at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street South.
The existing buildings at 525 S. Eighth St., built in 1975, and the adjacent 523 addition, completed around 1978, were scheduled for demolition. While the buildings would soon be gone, the stories, relationships and memories built there would remain.
When Did You First Work in the 525/523 Building?
Bruce Engelsma, KA Companies: I started in 1975. After graduating from being the “can man,” cleaning the toilets, at the Metropolitan Medical Office Building, I became coordinator for finishing the opening and operating Village North Bowl. My work area was where the administrative copier is now.
Mary Jo Kelly, KA Mortgage: 1976, as a secretary and bookkeeper. I was one of the first two employees of Kraus-Anderson Mortgage Co.
Bill Jarvis, KA Construction: 1979. I was project cost control manager, working on the second floor in what was then the accounting area. We were in a bullpen, with hard walls that went halfway up.
Al Gerhardt, KA Construction: March 20, 1980, starting as an estimator and assistant project manager. I was living in Cedar Square West and riding my bike to work.
Dan Engelsma, KA Realty: I first worked in the 501 South Eighth St. building. There were only three real estate employees in the 501 building: Dan Engelsma, Burt Dahlberg and Gordy Fox. In 1976, I moved to the 525 building. In 1978, the 523 building was constructed, and Realty moved into the two floors there. In 1994, Realty moved to Bloomington
1978, with Chet Sczenski, Bill Jaeger, Dan Engelsma and Lee Jaeger.
Rosann “Rosy” Hebert, KA Mortgage: 1975. I moved from the 501 building when 525 was ready for occupancy. I worked in accounts receivable, invoicing project owners.
Jan Goebel, KA Historian: I first worked in the building in December 1976 as assistant to Lloyd Engelsma. But I partied there before I worked there.
Maryanne London, KA Companies: 1975. I was hired as public relations director for KA Advertising. I started the KA newsletter by preparing layout sheets and typing the copy to fit the format.
Leann Carstens, KA Construction: 1991. I was a project secretary at the east end, with a desk beside the pillar near the “Blueline” room. I sat there for 13 years. A Mac with a large screen and floppy disks was there when I arrived. I had never used a Mac and had only recently started using a Compaq computer. I typed contracts on a typewriter, maintained handwritten logs and made actual bluelines.
Who Do You Remember From Those Days?
Gerhardt: Jerry Svee, executive vice president, and Dan Walgenbach, chief estimator, who hired me. I was performing manual takeoffs and estimating preliminary designs for large hotel projects. They seemed to have a strong grasp of project costs, but their willingness to provide price opinions was intimidating. Lloyd was always respected. He did not say a lot, but he gave clear direction and showed great appreciation.
Goebel: I worked with Lloyd Engelsma, Burt Dahlberg, Ken Johnson and Rachel Toftely, Burt’s secretary. Later, Mary Jo Dickenson, now Kelly, joined us as Ken Johnson’s secretary. To the south of us was Steve Duncan and the rest of his KA Advertising team.
Front desk at the 525 building
London: Mike Richards had the insurance agency in the corner, and Barb Sedges handled his bookkeeping. About six months after I arrived, Bruce sat at an open desk in the same area. There were only a few of us, and I had an office.
My boss, Steve Duncan, was the first director of the agency. Lloyd structured the organization so we could keep commissions from advertising placed for shopping centers. Early on, I began managing shopping-center event marketing and helped support openings during the 1970s, including Iron Mountain, Plaza 94 and La Crosse. My first client was Valley West, and I still manage its marketing. Eventually, we oversaw marketing for 12 shopping centers.
Carstens: Lloyd, Marci Lindberg, Jan, my boss Sharon Layeux, and Ken Augst, a joy to work with. Many project managers were young and just beginning their careers. I remember Mark Coudron, Dave Rollins, John Solberg, Al Gerhardt, Tom Sackett, Bill Jaeger, Jerry Dreis, the accounting group and Jon Sarff, the legal beagle with a dry sense of humor.
Kelly: It has been a pleasure to work with Bruce and Dan through the years. I feel like we grew up together. I also remember the KA Realty team, who were always fun.
What Do You Remember About the Building?
Goebel: The wallpaper was great. The murals in some areas were lovely, and the furniture was upholstered in bold earth colors.
Jarvis: Full-wall wallpaper murals with forest scenes, plus the outdoor patio off the basement.
A 1970s mural uncovered during a 1987 remodeling project.
Kelly: Before coming here, I worked at an insurance office. I remember thinking KA had a very fancy lobby and state-of-the-art electric typewriters, which I did not know how to use during my job interview. I liked the building. It had a midcentury modern feel and strong curb appeal.
Bruce Engelsma: Well, we had a copier, and a big room in the basement full of a computer.
Gerhardt: We had only a few computers in the office, and they had to be dialed into for communication. At the time, we thought that was impressive. Adding machines and memory typewriters were high-tech tools. Later, we purchased word processors located in separate rooms and shared by several employees. Almost everyone had an ashtray on their desk, and people smoked throughout the building.
Goebel: We were busy expanding the business and having fun.
Carstens: It was fun having Realty, Accounting and Payroll, Construction and the other entities together in one building. It felt like family.
Bruce Engelsma: At 5 p.m., we adjourned to The Normandy.
How Much of Your Career Did You Spend in the Building?
Bruce Engelsma: All of it.
Past and current employees said farewell to the 525 and 523 buildings on March 16, 2016
Goebel: Forty years.
Dan Engelsma: Approximately 22 years.
Jarvis: Twenty-six years.
Carstens: About 50 percent. I had already worked for 25 years before coming to KA.
Gerhardt: I worked in the office only during the first few months of my employment before being sent to Texas for three and a half years. For the next 10 to 12 years, I worked on jobsites. I returned to the office full time around 1990 and never left.
What Will You Remember Most Fondly?
Jarvis: The opportunity to work with great people.
Gerhardt: It was mostly about the people. Everyone had each other’s back. We tried to win as a team, one for all and all for one.
Hebert: I made friendships, and shared the KA cookie exchange, that have lasted 40 years with Jan Goebel, Mary Jo Kelly, Chris Dokken and others who are no longer with KA.
Kelly: My fondest memories are of the incredible, interesting, fun, smart and creative people who came and went through the years. Some are still here. I was fortunate to make lifelong friends early in my career, and we still spend time together. I will never forget the parties, Lloyd Engelsma and delivering the cash sheet to his office every morning.
Lloyd Engelsma in his office at 525 S. Eighth St.
What Did You Look Forward to in a New Downtown Headquarters?
Gerhardt: Re-creating that same “power of one” culture with a larger team and taking it to the next level. My goal is to leave the company in a better place than it was before I arrived.
Dan Engelsma: I looked forward to being downtown again with everyone together.
Carstens: Everything new, fresh and green, with everyone in the same building, just like old times.
London: There was much to look forward to in the new building. Many talented people were joining the company, and technology was creating a new dynamic. It would be great to have access to Realty and Circle Pines colleagues in the same location. The new building would offer amenities beyond those available at the time.
Kelly: I love downtown and was happy to return home. I also looked forward to the energy coming to this part of town, including new places for lunch, walks and happy hours like the old days.
Read more about the return to downtown Minneapolis, the new downtown headquarters, Bruce Engelsma’s 50-year perspective and company history.
CATEGORY: History