©2023 Real Estate Publishing Corporation
September 2023 • VOL. 40 No. 3
Click HERE to Include your Company!
The office repositioning: A key tool to bringing workers back to downtown and the suburbs By Dan Rafter, Editor
M
inneapolis-based architecture firm NELSON Worldwide has handled more than a dozen office repositioning jobs in the last two years in the Twin Cities. The firm has designed plans that call for everything from adding worker-friendly amenities to skyscrapers to improving the walkabil-
NELSON Worldwide designed an airier, more inviting lobby space at Minneapolis’ AT&T Tower ity and outdoor meeting areas of sprawling office parks. This repositioning work is important: Employers continue to struggle to bring their workers back to the office. Tools such as high-tech conference rooms, collaborative spaces, rooftop decks, private suites,
on-site fitness centers and cafes serving healthy meals can help convince hesitant employees to take on their morning commutes again, at least on a parttime basis. And NELSON Worldwide’s work updating office spaces hasn’t been limited to downtown Minneapolis Nelson to page 20
Preserving the iconic: Restoration work wrapping on Rochester’s glowing beauty of a hotel sign By Dan Rafter, Editor
I
conic. That’s how Matt Williams, vice president of finance with Red Pine Capital Management, describes the historic neon sign that has so long lit up the nighttime sky from atop the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, Minnesota. And why not? The sign stands 11 stories above the ground and spells out the name “Kahler Hotel” in towering neon letters. It’s long been a beacon shining in downtown Rochester.
Unfortunately, the sign, built and installed around 1971, had reached the end of its life, sometimes failing to light at all. Age had taken its toll. But that is changing soon. The historic Kahler sign is now being restored and relit, a major restoration project that will return the sign to its original glory. And while this project comes with a big price tag, Williams says that there really was no other choice but to bring the iconic sign back to life.
“The sign has been a part of the skyline for over 50 years,” Williams said. “The Grand Hotel is one of the largest buildings in Rochester. I’ve spoken to multiple citizens around Rochester. They all speak fondly of it. They remember the glow of that sign from when they were kids. Now they are full-grown adults and they were sad to see the state it had fallen into these past few years. “ The sign’s metal mesh was rusted beyond repair and the electrical components were so degraded that Iconic to page 19