As if fresh off the assembly line, a series of classic Model T automobiles arrived at HGA’s door this past weekend, May 13–14. The Model T’s welcomed visitors and curious passersby to HGA’s office in the historic Ford Center as part of Doors Open Minneapolis, a free annual event in which local businesses and organizations open their doors to the public to showcase the city’s vibrant economy, culture, and history.
Located in the North Loop adjacent to Target Field and the light rail station, the Ford Center is one of Minneapolis’s iconic historic buildings. Originally built as an assembly plant for Ford Motor Company in 1914, the brick and concrete building was a hub for the city’s auto manufacturing industry. But when the Ford Motor Company eventually moved assembly operations elsewhere in the metro area, the 11-story building passed through several owners and tenants’ uses.
HGA stepped in when United Properties bought the property in 2011, quickly seeing the potential of renovating the first four floors for its new downtown offices. As visitors toured the building this weekend, they saw history repurposed as a modern office.
For instance, the original Model T showroom on the first floor now serves as a gallery for architectural models, meetings, and office gatherings—its polished concrete floors, high ceilings, restored ornate plaster column capitals, and large industrial windows fully restored. And while not part of the weekend tour, the newly renovated second and third floors seamlessly blend the high-tech functions of a working architectural office with the building’s manufacturing history—pointing to the future.
“The Ford Center’s industrial aesthetic provides an inspirational workplace for us to do our best work,” said Bill Blanski, FAIA, LEED AP, Design Principal, and co-host of the event. “It was exciting to welcome the community and show how history is a living thing as the Ford Center continues to add to the city’s downtown vitality.”
For more information, visit Doors Open Minneapolis.