When you settle into a studio at Oaklands on 9th, you’re staying inside a rescue story. Our building went up in 1889 as one of downtown Minneapolis’s first apartment houses — a three-story brick structure with a brownstone front, designed by the prolific Minneapolis architect Harry Wild Jones. More than a century later, a 2016 fire left it a roofless shell. It sat open to the snow for three winters and landed on lists of the most endangered buildings in Minnesota. What happened next is the part we love to tell: it was brought back, by hand, one painstaking piece at a time.
Sixty-five windows, restored one at a time
Start with the windows, because they set the tone for the whole project. All 65 of them were restored start to finish by a single craftsman — Will — over roughly a year and a half. He pulled the old, fire-damaged sashes, restored the brick molding and stone sills around each opening, set the new windows, then painted, caulked, and sealed every one. For months he worked seven days a week. It’s the kind of slow, unglamorous work that doesn’t make headlines, but it’s exactly why the facade looks right today instead of patched-over.
4,000 pounds of lime mortar, mixed by hand at night
The brickwork got the same treatment. Rather than smear modern mortar over a 130-year-old wall, the crew re-pointed the joints with custom-mixed lime mortar — the soft, breathable kind originally used on antique, handmade brick. (If you’ve ever wondered why that matters, the National Park Service’s Preservation Briefs explain how the wrong, too-hard mortar can actually crack historic brick.) More than 4,000 pounds of it went into the joints, mixed and packed by hand — much of it overnight, from about 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., to stay out of the way of downtown neighbors and traffic.
A grand staircase that survived three roofless winters
The original grand staircase was the piece that worried everyone most. After three winters of rain and snow pouring straight down the open stairwell, it seemed beyond saving. But with a few parts donated from the old Grand Hotel, it came back together — and most of what you climb today is original wood, standing straight and proud again under a fresh runner and a period-appropriate wallpaper. It’s our favorite “before and after” in the building, and the first thing many guests stop to photograph.
Nothing wasted: reclaimed oak, old bricks, and 22,000 amps through the coal chute
Look closely at your studio and you’ll find the building’s own history reused throughout. Many of the kitchen backsplashes are built from the Oaklands’ salvaged old oak flooring, with floating shelves cut from former stair treads. Bricks unearthed from the original 1889 construction — found buried under the old parking lot — were laid into a border outside. The light fixtures are antiques, professionally restored, with a different one in nearly every unit. And in a fitting twist, all the modern power now runs in through the original coal chute: roughly 22,000 amps feeding ductless mini-split heating and cooling, induction cooktops, instant hot water, fast Wi‑Fi, and LED lighting throughout. The result is a genuinely historic building that lives like a brand-new one.
The work earned the Oaklands a historic designation, with a marker unveiled in the garden in 2022. We’re proud the building was saved at all — it nearly wasn’t — thanks to the City prioritizing it and a determined grassroots push, the same kind of rescue that brought back our sister property, the 300 Clifton mansion bed & breakfast in Loring Park. If you enjoy this side of the city, Minneapolis takes its old buildings seriously: you can read about local landmarks through the City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation program, and there’s plenty more historic architecture to explore — a Minneapolis Trolley Tours ride is a fun way to see it, and the haunted Pillsbury Club mansion is another local landmark worth a visit. For everything happening downtown during your stay, Meet Minneapolis keeps a current calendar.
Come stay inside the story
Our furnished, month-to-month studios sit right in the heart of downtown — walkable to the skyway, Nicollet Mall, US Bank Stadium, Orchestra Hall, and the hospitals — with full kitchens, free laundry, Wi‑Fi, and all utilities included. Stay a night, a week, or a month; some units are pet friendly. Check availability and book directly here, or give us a call at (612) 314-5124. We’d love to show you what 130 years of history feels like with a modern kitchen and a really good night’s sleep.