The Flour Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis has long stood as a defining example of early commercial style architecture and a cornerstone of the city’s historic core. Although it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 for its design by Long and Kees, the original nomination did not fully reflect the building’s complete development history or the architectural relationship of its interconnected additions. After previous consultants were unable to move a historic amendment forward, the building’s owners engaged our team to explore a new approach. Through detailed research and documentation, we demonstrated how the Flour Exchange’s phased growth created a unified, cohesive historic complex that deserved broader recognition.

Working closely with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), we established a viable path for amending the property’s historic designation to encompass its full evolution. This update strengthens the Flour Exchange’s architectural and historic significance while also unlocking federal and state historic tax credits for the entire property. By aligning preservation requirements with development goals, our historic consulting work enables developers to access critical financing tools that make adaptive reuse of downtown office buildings both feasible and impactful.