If you have walked down South 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis, you have probably noticed it: a richly carved 1889 brownstone standing shoulder to shoulder with glass towers, looking like it was lifted out of another century. That building is the Oaklands on 9th — and the story of how it got here, from grand apartments to a burned-out ruin to a fully restored apartment hotel, is one of the best preservation tales in the city.
A landmark born in 1889
The Oaklands opened in 1889 as a showpiece of luxury apartment living, designed by Harry Wild Jones — the noted Minneapolis architect behind Lakewood Cemetery’s chapel and the Lake Harriet Bandshell. The original permit, pulled by owner W.P. Burnett in June 1889, describes a three-story brick apartment house with a brownstone front built for about $20,000.
As downtown grew and the streetcar system expanded, the building’s luxury era faded. It became the Delta Hotel, and in 1959–60 it was carved into apartments — the layout it largely kept until modern times. Then came the hard years.
Fire, ruin, and a fight against the wrecking ball
A 2016 fire gutted the Oaklands, leaving it a roofless shell that sat open to the elements through three Minnesota winters. It landed on preservation watch lists as one of the most endangered historic buildings in the state — the kind of property that usually ends up as a parking lot.
Instead, it was saved. The rescue came from a mix of City prioritization and a grassroots preservation movement — the owners credit Minneapolis City Council Member Lisa Goodman, among others, with helping keep the building standing. Today the Oaklands carries a local historic designation, joining the ranks of Minneapolis’s protected landmarks; the designation plaque was unveiled at a public ceremony in June 2022.
A two-year, brick-by-brick restoration
Work began in the spring of 2019 — only the third major renovation in the building’s 130-year history. It was painstaking. All 65 windows were restored start to finish over roughly 18 months. More than 4,000 pounds of custom-mixed lime mortar — the same soft, historic type originally used — went into re-pointing the brick, much of it tuck-pointed at night to stay out of the neighbors’ way. The grand staircase was rebuilt largely from its original wood.
The leap forward was just as dramatic underneath the surface. Fiber internet, roughly 22,000 amps of new electrical service, and ductless mini-split heating and cooling were threaded through the building’s original coal chute — a literal line from the age of coal furnaces to the age of keyless locks and induction cooktops.
Stay in a piece of Minneapolis history
The best part: you can actually live in it. The Oaklands reopened as furnished, month-to-month studios in three tiers — Good, Better, and Best — with full kitchens, and WiFi, utilities, heat, and free laundry included. It is a genuinely walkable spot in downtown Minneapolis, steps from the skyway, Target on Nicollet Mall, and the stadiums.
If you love this kind of history, you are in good company across our sister properties: the Georgian 300 Clifton mansion bed & breakfast in Loring Park, the Pillsbury Club in the historic Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion, and the vintage streetcars of Minneapolis Trolley Tours, which roll past landmarks like this one all season.
Want to wake up inside 130 years of Minneapolis history? Check availability and book a studio, or call us at (612) 314-5124.