24 Jun largely forgotten 1884 american house hotel in mineapolis’s warehouse district being converted into a boutique hotel

photographic survey of the 1884 american house hotel (converted to commutator foundry in 1910), located at 125 1st street north, minneapolis, mn.

i’ve been documenting this building since 1999, when it was mostly abandoned, neglected, and falling to pieces (the worst of it was in the rear shed). the nicely worn and weathered facade, with it’s ghostly foundry signs and largely unaltered exterior ornament, made this building visually appealing on many levels.

the following images document the last gasp, before it transistions, sadly,  from trashy to turnkey. 

courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.