1886, 1910
As with other buildings in the neighborhood, these two addresses, 248-250 First Avenue North, were combined on a single building permit with the city of Minneapolis. The initial building permit for the structure dates to 1886, when Hoops and Gorman built an addition to an existing hotel for $12,000. Further additions were made over the years.
In 1910, J. & W.A. Elliot, architects, and owner, Charles H. Prior, sought a permit to build a forty-by-123-foot brick store for $10,000. An additional permit was needed in 1917 following a fire. Both storefronts, one building, had various wholesale occupants over the ensuing years.
The National Registration of Historic Places Registration Form, filed by the Minnesota Historical Society with the United States Department of the Interior, noted that by 1920, the area contained approximately three hundred warehouses. Thereafter, changes in the economy brought decline in the warehouse businesses in the central city with the Great Depression further impacting the area. “[M]any buildings became vacant and fell into disrepair while other property owners retained their businesses but neglected to maintain their buildings.”
248-250 followed a similar pattern with intermittent tenants, both short and long term. The building housed the Northwestern Artificial Limb and Brace Company in the early Twentieth Century and eventually made it their base of operations. The company was one of the nation’s first prosthetics makers and was often in the headlines for donating assistance to injured athletes.
The 1940s brought the second longer-term occupant, Sachs Nut Shelling. Sachs owned the building from the 1940s to the 1960s. Sachs packaged a variety of domestic and imported nuts. Sachs invested in the building seeking a permit for repairs in 1944 to both floors at a cost of $4,000.
In 1952, a two-alarm fire in Sachs Nut Shelling engulfed the top story and the cupola and threatened the neighboring buildings. The fire started in the roasting equipment and spread through the ventilation system. Damage was estimated at $12,000 including both stock and structure, and in 1953, a permit for fire repair was granted. Another fire occurred in 1962, with additional repairs needed.
Both Northwestern Artificial Limb and Sachs Nut would have used the ground floor space, in part, as storefront showrooms and offices with manufacturing in the back and on the upper floor. Other shorter-term tenants could have a different bay or floor with the same address. It was during the 1950s and 1960s that the building housed shorter term tenants. Modifications were made to the storefront, but the building retained its original brick appearance.
Hoff-Williamson Stamp Company occupied the buildings from the 1960s to the 1980s, after which the building was again vacant.
Nationally recognized Yamamoto Moss, purchased 248-250, as well as neighboring buildings, in the early 1980s. Seitz Yamamoto Moss was founded in 1979, focusing on developing brand identity. Over the years, it built a national reputation, helping put the Twin Cities on the advertising map.
Yamamoto renovated the interior of the building into office space, while preserving the historic exterior. Large open work areas, added skylights, and preservation of the interior brick walls, added to use as a creative space. Portions of the space were leased to Rozeboom Miller Architects
In 1986, the company was rebranded as Yamamoto Moss. At its peak, YM had 110 employees in its local, national, and international offices. Although no longer in the building, YM continues to provide client services.
In 1989, the Minneapolis Warehouse District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and the 248-250 First Avenue building was listed as a contributing property.