If you stay in one of our furnished studios, you are not just renting a room downtown — you are living inside a piece of Minneapolis history that very nearly did not survive. Oaklands on 9th was built in 1889, and when it was restored in 2019 the goal was never to gut the old building and start fresh. It was to save as much of the original as humanly possible, and to put the rest to work in surprising new ways. Look closely at the wood on the walls, the brick behind the shelves, and one stubborn old door in the basement, and you will find the building’s whole story hiding in plain sight.
A landmark that almost did not make it
By the time the restoration began, the Oaklands had been through a lot. A 2016 fire left it a burned-out shell, and it sat roofless for three winters with snow and rain falling straight into the basement. For years it landed on lists of the most endangered historic buildings in Minnesota. It took a determined grassroots effort and the city’s preservation community to keep the wrecking ball away — the kind of save the National Trust celebrates with its This Place Matters campaign. Our sister property, the 300 Clifton mansion bed & breakfast in Loring Park, was rescued from a similar fate.
If you want the full nuts-and-bolts version — 65 restored windows, 4,000 pounds of hand-mixed lime mortar, and a salvaged grand staircase — we told that story in how Oaklands on 9th was restored. You can learn about the city’s landmark program through the City of Minneapolis preservation office, and find other historic stops around town via Meet Minneapolis.
Backsplashes made from the building’s own floors
When crews pulled up the old oak flooring during demolition, they did not haul it to the dumpster — they saved it. That reclaimed oak became the kitchen backsplashes in studio after studio, 24 of them in all, each one a little different depending on which boards survived. Above some of them, the floating shelves are old staircase treads given a second life holding your coffee mugs. It is the kind of detail you might not notice at first, and then cannot stop noticing.
The one door that survived
Here is a fact that still amazes us: out of the entire building, exactly one original door survived. It leads to what was once the coal room in the basement (now the electrical room), and as far as anyone can tell, it still hangs in its original spot. It carries the scars of a 1970s basement fire and three years underwater after the 2016 fire, but a careful cleanup and a little WD-40 on the hinges brought it back to working order. In a building this old, that one swinging door is something close to a miracle.
1889 brick, brought back into the light
Some of the most beautiful moments in the building are the simplest. During the dig, the crew found bricks from the original 1889 construction buried under the old parking lot and worked them back into the property. Inside the studios, reclaimed-wood cubbies frame sections of the original brick wall, turning a structural detail into something you would want to photograph. It is a fitting tribute to the building’s architect, Harry Wild Jones, the prolific Minneapolis designer behind landmarks across the city. We shared more about who Harry Wild Jones was if you would like to meet the man behind the brick.
Old bones, brand-new comfort
For all the history, these are not drafty museum rooms. The same coal chute that once fed the building’s furnace now carries roughly 22,000 amps of electricity, powering individual heating and cooling in every studio, induction cooktops, instant hot water, fast Wi-Fi, security, and all-LED lighting. Each fully furnished studio comes with a full kitchen, and your Wi-Fi, utilities, heat, and laundry are all included — with no contracts, whether you stay a night, a week, or a month. It is why the Oaklands works so well for travel nurses, relocating professionals, and anyone who wants more than a standard hotel room.
When you are ready to explore beyond the building, downtown is right outside the door — and a Minneapolis Trolley Tour is a fun way to see the city’s other grand old buildings, including the famously haunted Pillsbury mansion.
Come stay inside the story
There is something special about waking up in a building that fought this hard to survive. Book a furnished studio at Oaklands on 9th, or call us at (612) 314-5124 — we would love to show you exactly where the history is hiding.
Keep reading: if you’re coming to Minneapolis for work, here’s how a furnished, month-to-month studio at Oaklands suits travel nurses on assignment near HCMC and the U.