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North Loop, Minneapolis
Bookmen Lofts
525 N 3rd St
Grocery warehouses, then Minnesota's big book distributor, on the ground where the 1934 truckers' strike turned deadly.
✓ Verified condominium: Hennepin County CIC No. 1225
- Address
- 525 N 3rd St
- Neighborhood
- North Loop
- Built
- 1914–15
- Originally
- Slocum-Bergren wholesale grocers
- Became condos
- 2004
- Architects
- Long, Lamoreaux and Long
- Condo units (county)
- 56
The story
These side-by-side brick warehouses were built for wholesale grocers. From the 1960s until 2002 they housed The Bookmen Inc., Minnesota's main wholesale book distributor, which is where the name comes from.
The area was a flashpoint of the 1934 Minneapolis truckers' strike. On “Bloody Friday,” July 20, 1934, police shot 67 picketers near these buildings, two of them fatally.
A gut renovation turned the warehouses into condominiums in 2004.
What stands out
- A piece of labor history most buyers never hear about.
- Deeded garage stalls.
Before you buy here
- Parking stalls here are separate condominium parcels (the county counts 143). Confirm which stall comes with the unit and how it's taxed.
- Ask for the association’s resale disclosure certificate, budget, reserve study and recent minutes. Minnesota law gives you specific rights around that certificate; see our buying and financing guide.
Sources: Hennepin County property records (CIC No. 1225), North Loop Neighborhood Association: Bookmen Lofts.
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