Historic Dinkytown buildings up for demolition
Minneapolis' Heritage Preservation Commission votes today on whether to recommend a permit to demolish two commercial buildings in the Dinkytown neighborhood to build a six-story hotel.
The two low-rise buildings are among three that developer Kelly Doran wants to tear down as part of a controversial real estate project near the University of Minnesota.
Neighborhood activists say the two buildings up for a vote in the preservation commission are part of the fabric of the community and tearing them down would hurt pedestrian traffic and damage the local economy.
The buildings up for review are at 1315 and 1319 4th Street SE. The final decision is up to the City Council -- the preservation commission will only advise the city.
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"This is the heart of Dinkytown, a place that's well-recognized as a district," said Cordelia Pierson, president of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association. "It's worth preserving for Dinkytown to be economically viable and to protect the district's culture, business and community that comes together in that intersection."
Pierson says her group does not oppose redevelopment, but would like to see any new development preserve the history of the buildings.
If you go
Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission
4:30 p.m., today
Room 317, City Hall
350 South Fifth Street
Minneapolis