The second floor of the historic Minnetonka Bank Building on 2nd Street in Excelsior is undergoing a complete renovation, transforming the 120-year-old apartment space above Alerus Bank into a stunning short-term boutique rental with the Hotel Excelsior. Local resident Chris Dennis of Lakes Area Realty, along with longtime friend Daniel Gregoire, purchased the property about a year ago before partnering with Tyler Nelson, owner of the Hotel Excelsior.
“I’m excited to have a two-bedroom suite to offer guests,” says Tyler. “I’d love to give families and groups the option to stay together in one suite, as currently we only have studios and one-bedroom suites available.”
Guests can sprawl out and truly unpack in the nearly 1300 square foot suite, complete with a primary suite, three bathrooms with heated floors, a secondary bedroom, state-of-the-art kitchen, dining room, and a spacious, great room. “We want guests to feel like they can invite people over and entertain,” says Chris. “To have a drink before heading out to explore downtown Excelsior, grabbing dinner at Red Sauce Rebellion across the street, watching the fireworks, heading over to the lake, all the events are right outside our front door; we’re in the heart of the historic district.”
Chris also brought on Tim O’Connor and Steve Longman from Align Building and Remodeling as the general contractor to help meld the old with the new, bringing the building into the 21st century while preserving the Banker’s Suite’s historic charm. The suite was added as a second-floor addition in 1904 to serve as offices for the St. Paul Remedy Company. It was later converted to a two-bedroom apartment during the Nygren’s ownership. Jan Nygren, among many others, called the apartment home over the past 45+ years.
Keeping many of the historic architectural elements from the original building, the suite will showcase the original brick walls, long hidden behind lath and plaster, and windows to look exactly like the original but new and energy efficient. The team is also refinishing the original Douglas Fir wood flooring. Not a small feat as the team discovered there were three layers of flooring, including vinyl they had to pull up to reveal the beautiful, original wood floors.
“It’s a very old building, so you don’t know what’s going to be there when you start opening it up,” explains Tim. “We ran into a number of surprises that required some problem-solving.”
During demolition, they discovered a 22 by 22-inch brick and concrete column that would land right in the middle of the bedroom. “Practically in the center of the bed,” laughs Steve. “Not too comfortable, so we had to go back and redesign the floor plan.”
Working alongside architect Mike Sharratt, the crew redesigned the floor plan, raised the ceiling to create sweeping 14-foot vaulted ceilings, and designed a beautiful wooden beam to encase an existing structural beam running through the center of the room to look like an authentic 1900s beam ceiling. “I love the contrast between the elegant architectural treatments and rustic brick and beams,” says Steve. “It’s going to be gorgeous.”
Shelly Peschel, designer and owner of Melody Hill Design, is bringing Chris’ design vision to life. “Chris was inspired by a recent trip to Europe, sending me photos from different hotels and restaurants he visited,” says Shelly. “We wanted to design the space in a way that embraces the historical elements with a fresh and modern point of view.” The primary suite will feature a black and white marble bathroom, with streamlined furnishings throughout the suite, including LED chandeliers, unique glassware pieces from the Maker’s Studio in Excelsior, modern furniture designs from DWELL44 in St. Louis Park, and historical photos of Excelsior so guests can experience the city’s rich history.
"We want to create an elevated but comfortable and inviting space for guests," explains Shelly. "Our goal is for guests to feel like they stayed in a special place. A place they want to tell their friends about and come back to. Something Excelsior can be proud of."
The Banker’s Suite is expected to be available at the beginning of April. “We already have several bookings,” says Tyler. It’s clear the new suite will be a special addition to Excelsior due to the incredible work and creativity of the Banker’s Suite crew. “The team really clicked from the beginning,” says Shelly.
“It’s great when everybody’s close. We’re all invested in making this a successful project,” says Tim. Chris affirms, “Working with this team has been amazing. The creative solutions and collaboration between Tim, Steve, Shelly, and Tyler will culminate in a unique and beautiful space for guests to stay in when they visit Excelsior.”
