When the people of
Shea Inc. contemplated moving their headquarters, they decided to build up the internationally recognized design and marketing firm’s street visibility and adopt a new look by going retro.
Last week the Minneapolis-based business completed the move from Butler Square, its home for nearly a quarter-century, to the former downtown Shinders building at Eighth Street and Hennepin Avenue.
Shea downsized its work space from 10,800 square feet to about 8,200 square feet and introduced cutting-edge design elements while maintaining some of the characteristics — and eccentricities — of the 65-year-old building.
The 24,000-square-foot former magazine and memorabilia store will house Shea’s offices on the second floor and the Union restaurant on the first floor, lower level and rooftop. Union is set to open later this month.
The total cost of the ongoing overhaul was first projected at $3 million, but ended up being “somewhat north” of that figure, according to Shea owner David Shea. Minnetonka-based Welsh Construction is the general contractor and Shea handled the architectural and interior design for the three-level project.
Shea got involved when building owners Zel-Wel LLC asked the firm to help recruit a restaurant to occupy the corner space. That led to discussions resulting in Shea taking part of the building.
The project took about a year to design and build. The primary design and construction challenge on the project was finding a way to concurrently work on the building, the Union restaurant and Shea’s new offices within a relatively small space, Shea said.
“It was like a Swiss watch — lots of disparate moving parts,” he said. “We had to deal with the complexity of having a full rooftop restaurant with retractable roof, two elevators, multiple stairs and the idea that we’re sandwiched between two restaurants [because of multiple levels for Union]. We wanted a first-floor presence, but one that didn’t take away from the retail portion of it.”
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Shea’s offices on the second floor, which extend all
the way to Hennepin Avenue, sport large work
islands and are designed to encourage accessibility
and communication. The only office with a locking
door is occupied by the company’s chief financial
officer. (Staff photo: Bill Klotz) |
A blend of old and new
The entrance to the new space, at 10 Eighth St. S., kept the terrazzo flooring that still carries the logo of the former Snyder’s drugstore. In fact, building co-owner Sue Zellickson is part of the Snyder family that owned the drugstore chain. The original stone on the exterior and terrazzo floors inside also were restored for the new space.
To mark the front entrance, Shea and Minneapolis sculptor Zoran Mojsilov teamed up to create a unique sculpture, whose installation started Monday. Tying together pieces of the city’s history, the sculpture uses carved stone salvaged from downtown’s Metropolitan building, which was demolished in the 1960s, as well as Kasota stone salvaged from railroad underpasses knocked down to make way for Target Field. The huge stones will be hung together next to the entrance with thin steel rods.
“David [Shea] recognized the stone from the Metropolitan Building and thought it would be a great fit,” said Cori Kuechenmeister, lead designer on the project along with creative director Dan Berg.
The mix of old and new strikes the visitor upon entering the new space. A crackled-glass overhead barrier shelters visitors at the entrance. The wall behind the reception area, composed of white Venetian plaster, was designed by Trompe Decorative Finishes of Minneapolis. The reception desk is made of hand-selected Calcutta marble.
In front of an open staircase, the space’s east wall exposes the building’s original bare brick, much of it scarred by a fire that destroyed an adjoining building. A row of “up lighting” plays up the multicolored brick wall.
“We intended it to be something of a blank canvas,” said Tanya Spaulding, a principal with Shea. “We wanted a completely clean look.”
The second floor, which extends all the way to Hennepin Avenue, sports large work islands to the north of a grid of cubicles. The work area is designed to encourage accessibility and communication; the only office with a locking door is occupied by the company’s chief financial officer.
The production area houses the company’s 35 employees, with breakout meeting areas placed at either end.
The work islands double as spaces where Shea can present its work to clients. Slots are carved into the tabletops to accommodate layout boards and different illumination styles — LED, fluorescent, incandescent — employed in various spots to best present the colors in the projects on display.
“The remainder of the building is very utilitarian and austere,” said Spaulding. “It’s a huge departure from where we were.”
Shea signed a 10-year lease in a building that has been vacant since Shinders closed in 2007.
“I like the openness and street presence of it,” Shea said of the space. “For the 35 years we’ve been in business, we’ve always been in office buildings. This is our first opportunity to be on the street and have people see energy and activity when they walk by.”
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