Highlighting History with Technology: Redesign Inc Opens Coliseum Building
This summer Redesign Inc proudly celebrated the grand reopening of the historic Coliseum building on Lake Street in Minneapolis, a special moment for the community and the culmination of years of dedicated effort. The reopening was a highlight of the 2024 Soul of the Southside Juneteenth festival, emphasizing the Coliseum's significance in the Longfellow neighborhood.
Originally built in 1917, the Coliseum housed Freeman’s Department Store, one of the first stores in the area to offer credit to people of color, symbolizing progress and inclusivity. In 2020, the building was severely damaged during the civil unrest following George Floyd's murder, located just two blocks from the Third Precinct police station. Since 2021, Redesign Inc, alongside several developers, has been at the forefront of the restoration efforts, using a mix of public and private financing to cover the renovation costs while preserving the building's historic features.
“It was absolutely a labor of love,” said Taylor Smrikárova, Director of Real Estate Development for Redesign Inc and key player in the Coliseum project, to MPR News. “They wanted to see local ownership, they wanted to see small businesses and local businesses in the building and thrive.”
“It was absolutely a labor of love. They wanted to see local ownership, they wanted to see small businesses and local businesses in the building and thrive.”
Taylor Smrikárova
Learn More about Community Involvement in the Coliseum
Collectivity and Redesign Inc have been working together since 2020 to expand their technological capabilities. This partnership has been a support to Redesign managing and executing complex projects, like the Coliseum restoration, more efficiently. By streamlining their use of technology, Collectivity has helped Redesign scale their impact and ensure sustainable growth.
And Redesign Inc isn’t finished with exciting developments! Last week they broke ground for another development, Wadaag Commons, a 39-unit affordable housing development in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. This marks the final phase of the Seward Commons project, a visionary redevelopment effort transforming an industrial area into a vibrant, transit-oriented community.
Check out Redesign Inc.’s website to learn more about their work! If you are interested in hearing more about the work Collectivity has been doing with Redesign Inc., watch the short interview above. Executive Director Andy Hestness and Fundraising and Communications lead Jessie Roeming sat down with Collectivity to discuss how technology interacts with their services and how Collectivity has helped strengthen their ability to tell the story of their work.
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