Milwaukee Road Freight House
1879, 1998
PDF of Milwaukee Road Freight House History
The Freight House was built in 1879 to serve the adjacent Milwaukee Road Depot. The building was
used to handle the incoming and outgoing cargo from trains arriving and departing at the adjacent depot.
A one and one-half story, gable-roofed warehouse was attached to the Freight House and extended southeast 500 feet behind the Freight House. Loading docks opened on either side of this long, narrow building. On the back exterior wall of the Freight House, the shadow of the gabled roofline is still visible, suggesting the building once attached.
The brick Freight House is in the Italianate style, with tall double-hung sash windows. The windows have stone sills and are also capped at the top in stone.
The Freight House was vacated in the early 1970s when passenger train service to the adjacent Depot was suspended. The 500-foot-long warehouse was torn down in 1990, and the building stood by itself. Most of the surrounding land to the north and east became parking lots.
The Freight House was renovated in late 1990. Extensive remodeling was required, as the original building did not have water, electricity, or sewer.
Dunn Brothers Coffee opened its Coffeehouse in 1998. The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission honored the reuse of the Freight House with an award.