The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel - Minnesota
The Depot Renaissance
Minneapolis Hotel
Experience the enjoyment of traveling to downtown
Minneapolis to one of the cities' most distinctive
landmarks; a historic train depot complete with all the
modern touches you'll experience from full service
Renaissance hotels in Minneapolis. Built as a railroad
station over 100 years ago, the Depot is now a beautifully
restored, upscale hotel in Minneapolis featuring stylish
hotel rooms and luxurious historic suites, exceptional
meeting and event space, an award winning water park,
seasonal ice skating rink, Charley's Grill and the Stone
Arch Bar and patio.
History of the Old
Milwaukee Road Depot
The last train left in 1971, but The Depot still stands as a monument to
romantic, adventurous rail days gone by. For nearly seven decades, family
members and loved ones stood at the atrium of the Depot and waved to
passengers boarding the trains of the Milwaukee Road line. A prosperous hub
of business and personal travel, this was the place where ambition set
forth, destinies converged, and hearts became one.
Renaissance Revival Style by Charles Frost
The Depot, a Renaissance Revival style building was built in 1899 and was
designed by Charles Frost. Considered conservative in style, the ground
floors were paved in white marble with black borders and walls were built
with cream and brown enamel brick. The ceiling of intricately paneled oak
gave the rooms a large, spacious feel. The total cost of the Depot was about
$200,000.
The Depot fluttered with activity during the late 1800s when Minneapolis was
a rapidly growing city. At the peak of activity in 1920, the prosperous
Depot was bustling with 29 trains departing daily. In 1971, the Milwaukee
Road terminated rail service to Minneapolis and converted the building into
office use. In 1978, the Minnesota Historical Society placed The Depot and
the nearby freight house on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Depot Today
The Minneapolis Community Development Agency purchased The Depot and the
seven-block surrounding areas from the Resolution Trust Corporation for $2
million to preserve its historic significance. In recent years, there have
been numerous development concepts for The Depot ranging from an
agricultural museum to a casino.
In 1998, the MCDA approved a land sale to CSM Corporation for the
development proposal currently underway at The Depot. The finished complex
includes The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, the Residence Inn
Minneapolis Downtown by Marriott, an indoor water park, an interpretive
history center about the Depot, The Stone Arch Bar, Charley's Restaurant,
banquet space, underground parking for 650 automobiles and an enclosed
seasonal ice rink. The entire project was completed in July of 2001.
The Coolest Indoor Ice Skating Rink by Travel and Leisure Magazine
The lone indoor rink on our list, the Depot Rink is located in a historic
downtown Minneapolis train station. At its peak in 1920, it operated 29
trains a day before closing for good in 1971. Now the rink’s
floor-to-ceiling glass windows let you keep nice and toasty as you skate
past a spectacular view of the Minneapolis skyline.