By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor<\/p>\n
The future of the Block E retail-entertainment complex is in question, as Mayor R.T. Rybak says the plan to build a $400 million casino is not gathering pace at the Capitol, the Star Tribune<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n Ten years have passed since the Block E opened, and now the building that was expected to attract large crowds to downtown Minneapolis is about 50 percent empty. The figure will increase in the autumn, when the AMC movie theater departs.<\/p>\n In 2010, Minneapolis-based Alatus L.L.C. bought the property for $14 million; since 2011, it has been fighting to build a casino, a plan that has been seen as one way to fund a new Vikings stadium. Gov. Mark Dayton, however, is less inclined to support this method due to the likelihood of extended legal challenges.<\/p>\n Although Alatus is not giving up on the casino plan, a much needed back-up plan has surfaced: heavily branded office space with retail and restaurant components. Company executives have admitted that while office space won\u2019t be as “transformative\u201d to the city as a casino, it would still be a nice improvement.<\/p>\n The property would accommodate\u00a075,000 square feet of office space but would require\u00a0inside remodeling and the possible addition of a new floor. Businesses choosing Block E would have a rare opportunity to advertise themselves in signage wrapping around the exterior, a branding method permitted only in limited areas of downtown.<\/p>\n After the departure of the AMC movie theater, Block E will remain with four tenants: Kieran\u2019s Irish Pub, Shout House, Jimmy John\u2019s and Starbucks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor
\nThe future of the Block E retail-entertainment complex is in question, as Mayor R.T. Rybak says the plan to build a $400 million casino is not gathering pace at the Capitol, the Star Tribune reported.
\nTen years have passed since the Block E opened, and now the building that was expected to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":264,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36076,21742],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1004052642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-minneapolis-st-paul","category-latest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n