December Friday History: Before Our Time on the KA Block

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Brenden Nickels, Senior Office Assistant

Ever since 1944, when Kraus-Anderson settled on 8^th Street and between 4^th and 5^th Avenues in downtown Minneapolis (with a 18-month stay at Broadway Street and Industrial Boulevard in 2016-17), this company has pretty much been settled on this area of land. But before Lloyd Engelsma moved his office there, 8^th Street between 4^th and 5th Avenue., there was still a kind of activity going on.

The story of the KA Block goes all the way to May 28^th, 1868, when the land was added to the Minneapolis map as part of Mattison’s 3^rd Addition. It was intended to be part of a residential block for mansions, but as the city grew, it became a block for single-family homes on what was considered “the outskirts of downtown”. If you worked downtown, you can just walk to and from there, or just take a quick horse and buggy ride. During this time, the KA Block was on Cataract Street (now Portland Avenue), which led up to the mills near the river, and many business that were on Cataract relied on the mills to operate.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”31338″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Kraus-Anderson first moved to the block at 501 South 8^th Street in 1944. As the company got bigger, it built a new headquarters a few feet away at 525 South 8^th Street in 1974, and then expanded to a two-story building in 1979 to accommodate the KA Realty business.

“My father was ambitious and looked for opportunity.”, said Lloyd’s son, Kraus-Anderson CEO Bruce Engelsma. “I assume he relocated the company to 501 as he needed more space to grow and the lot was available.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”31337″ img_size=”Full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Finally, in 2017, all of the Kraus-Anderson offices, with the exception of Insurance, were united in a new five-story building that was part of a new area that also included the HQ apartment complex, the Finnegan’s brewery, and the Elliot Park Hotel, with Tavola Italian Bar and Grill attached.[/vc_column_text][vc_images_carousel images=”13079,11713,13082,13081″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]“I guess I’ve always seen this block as the opportunity to grow KA.” said Bruce. “I think it is a convenient location with good access. When we came out of the recession in 2008-10, we had consolidated other locations and saw the need for more space again, we looked at other suburban locations but ultimately decided building is what we do and it was the right time to put together a development that encompassed the entire block.”

“Looking back I think Lloyd would be proud to see the company still located on the block where he had spent his career and continuing to grow.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]