Travel & Stay

History of Minneapolis’ Minneapolis
Warehouse Historic District

“Named for a trolley line that served the area in the late 1800s, the North Loop is the heart of commercial Minneapolis, and it’s thriving. Converted warehouses, cast-iron storefronts, repurposed loading docks, worn painted signs, a quaint steel bridge, chic shopping, award-winning restaurants.

The North Loop developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when several railroads converged in the growing Minneapolis. Flour milling flourished at St. Anthony Falls and wholesale businesses and farm implement dealers built massive warehouses in the North Loop. Trains pulled right up to the loading docks, moving harvesting equipment, tractors, hardware, bags, clothing, fruit, nuts, crackers, groceries, flour, paint and even Model T cars.

Minneapolis became a major distribution and wholesale center for the Upper Midwest — and further. According to the City of Minneapolis’s web site, between 1880 and 1907, the wholesale trade originating from the Warehouse District grew to $280 million from $24 million. In 1919, it reached the $1 billion mark.

Many of the North Loop’s buildings remained unaltered over time. Together they create the Minneapolis Warehouse Historic District.

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