Interiors offered their own trials. “I wrestled with the floor plans,” Farley recalls. “We had to pay close attention to how deep a unit could be, because there were only so many windows. The challenge was to put a window in each bedroom and living space.” The floor plans were designed to make the most of whatever light was available. In each floor plan, light from the windows in the living room and bedroom flows into the kitchen and bath.
But the efforts paid off. Today the Residences at Rodney Square are more than 80 percent occupied, well ahead of projections. Plans are underway to develop Christina’s Landing, a waterfront area, bringing even more businesses and people to downtown.
It’s never easy to breathe new life into an existing office building, no matter how old it is. The project almost always comes with problems that don’t exist in new construction. But it can be worth the effort to save the character of the building and turn it into a unique place to live that residents will enjoy for years to come.
– Julie Swenson is a freelance writer in Minneapolis.