Coliseum Building, 2700 E Lake Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
From Placeography
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Coliseum Building | |
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| Address: | 2700 Lake Street E |
| Neighborhood/s: | Longfellow, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| City/locality- State/province | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| County- State/province: | Hennepin County, Minnesota |
| State/province: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Year built: | 1917 |
| Current Function: | Restaurant |
| Material of Exterior Wall Covering: | Brick |
(44.94837,-93.233156warning.png"44.94837.-93.233156" is not a number. )
Freeman’s Department Store, inside the Coliseum Building, once stood at the corner of East Lake and Minnehaha Ave. Opening in 1917, it survived until 1975, when the commercial decline of Lake Street combined with the growth of national chains and suburban shopping malls made the inner-city Lake Street location undesirable to shoppers. At one time East Lake had five full-sized department stores. The intersection of the streetcar lines at 27th and Lake created bustling foot traffic. Today the building houses a Denny’s, the Mexican sandwich shop Manny’s Tortas, and several community organizations.
The Coliseum Building also housed Podany's Office Furniture Warehouse. During the 1970s Roger Podany rented out the basement of the sprawling building to musicians. Notable basement tenants during this period were The Suburbs, The Explodo Boys, and the rock and blues group Citizen.
Other notable Coliseum Building tenants were The Church of Scientology and the Church of Scientology Bookstore. The religious group housed its "org" on the second floor and the bookstore was in the ground floor corner suite where the Denny's entrance stands today.
Manny's Tortas
Manny Gonzales arrived in Minneapolis from Mexico City in 1983. For several years he worked with a catering company as a chef before following his dream to open his own restaurant. He read in the newspaper one day about classes offered by a community organization to help entrepreneurs start their own business. He signed up, and upon completion of the program found an opportunity to promote his favorite food, tortas, a type of Mexican sandwich. Out of 25 restaurants, Manny's was one of the 5 selected to become a part of the new Mercado Central.
Now, there are three Manny’s Tortas in the area, and Gonzales attributes his success to the success of the Mercado that allowed him to bridge gaps between Latino immigrants and other city residents by serving the different communities.Contents |
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Hennepin Family Care East Lake Clinic
