Originally home to one of Minneapolis’s first automobile showrooms, Loring Corners is a rare and remarkably intact example of a multi-building complex designed around the rise of car culture. Built between 1911 and 1917 for the Fawkes Auto Company, the site was conceived to support the full lifecycle of early automobiles: showroom, sales, service, storage, and parts. Internal passageways, shared automotive elevators, and alley-facing garage doors allowed vehicles to move fluidly between buildings and across floors, accommodating a wide range of makes and models.

Architecturally, the complex blends commercial pragmatism with classical detail. Terra cotta ornament, steel-framed industrial windows, cast stone columns, and decorative skylights were used to elevate the presence of the automobiles on display. While the buildings were constructed over time, a consistent material palette and proportional rhythm ties the complex together visually and functionally.

AWH Architects led the in-depth historic documentation and National Register nomination for Loring Corners. The process was extensive, requiring deep research, strategic coordination, and close collaboration with SHPO. Spearheaded by Jacob Dommer of AWH, the nomination involved parsing over a century of layered histories, reconciling conflicting records, and demonstrating the architectural and cultural significance of five interconnected buildings across a large urban footprint.

This effort not only established Loring Corners' place on the National Register of Historic Places, but also laid the groundwork for potential preservation incentives, including Historic Tax Credits. By providing early space planning and guidance on HTC eligibility, AWH helped align preservation values with long-term modernization goals.

Loring Corners has long been a space of movement—of vehicles, ideas, and community life. That spirit endures today. By documenting and defining the architectural significance of Loring Corners, we’ve helped position the complex as a contributing asset to the historic fabric of the Loring Park neighborhood.