Historic North Loop Building Sold To A Church
Aria, the prestigious event space in the North Loop, just announced on its website that the historic building has been sold. The company is no longer taking any future bookings, but it plans to host the events that were already on the calendar for this year.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that the buyer is River Valley Church which has ten locations around the metro and has been hosting Sunday services in the North Loop for a few years. The Business Journal article cites public documents showing a sale price of $10 million and indicating that the building will be used primarily for church activities going forward.
The historic building, dating back to 1889, has had many uses over the past many decades, from produce warehouses to storage facility to an award-winning theatre group. The brick exterior was designed by famous architect Cass Gilbert who also designed the Minnesota State Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington DC.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer