8/31 Bell Lofts Update
Greetings Family,
It has been several months since the pipe froze and burst at the Historic Bell Lofts–displacing the 21 families who called it home–and we want to provide everyone with a brief update. As you may recall, on the day of the event, we launched a GoFundMe & Owner lead fundraiser campaign to raise relief funds for the families impacted. Together, we raised a total of $111,910.88, directly benefiting the 21 displaced families. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who generously provided and continue to offer resources to support the families impacted by this event. We are pleased to share that with the assistance of It Takes A Village MN, 90% of the tenants have secured permanent housing.
Over the past few months, we have been working with our insurance company to thoroughly assess the extent of damages and carry out the necessary repairs to reaffirm Bell Lofts as a secure and comfortable residence. With that, we will take this opportunity to make additional improvements beyond the scope of work covered by the insurance claim.
Through this experience, we have learned a great deal that has led us to refine our approach. We are working to streamline future management, day-to-day operations, and working deeper with Northside artists, entrepreneurs and families to ensure the Historic Bell Lofts has thoughtful design elements and programming in the new breath of life. We know there is a much larger ecosystem outside of our own resources needed to provide housing on the Northside, and we’re committed to doing our part.
Throughout construction, we will post updates on the Historic Bell Lofts’ website. We invite you to stay connected.
Statement from the Historic Bell Lofts Team - Feb. 10, 2023
When we received the keys to the Historic Bell Lofts on March 31, 2021, we were excited about the experiences that owning a storied property would bring. However, nothing prepared us for the catastrophic experience of Dec. 28, 2022, at the Historic Bell Lofts.
A pipe on the building’s third floor froze and burst, causing 19 families to be displaced.
We are deeply sorry that this act of nature happened. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this.
We have always prioritized tenant safety and experience. Our goal has been and will continue to remain that families have a soft place to land. After being notified of the flooding, we secured transportation and lodging for Historic Bell Lofts families.
After providing lodging for the first week, we coordinated with the Minneapolis Foundation, The Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota, and The Pohlad Family Foundation, who provided emergency grants to extend the families’ housing for additional weeks.
We sincerely appreciate the hard work of It Takes a Village Minnesota, Documenting MN, U.S. Bank, and other entities that provided moving services and funded additional lodging for Historic Bell Lofts families. We also appreciate the community members providing several families with gift cards, groceries, clothing, and visits to Target.
We have not forgotten about Historic Bell Loft's families. This situation is not cut and dried. As our legal team gathered information, crafting a quick fix would have been a disservice to how best to assist the families.
Questions have arisen about the families’ security deposits, GoFundMe donations, and housing statuses.
Security deposits are en route to the Historic Bell Lofts families.
To date, we have raised more than $75,000 for the families, of which $47,895 has gone directly to the families. It Takes a Village Minnesota will be distributing the GoFundMe proceeds directly to the families, via Visa gift cards. We appreciate Pillsbury United Communities coordinating with It Takes a Village Minnesota to distribute the funds.
Based on a Historic Bell Lofts Team-created list of more than 50 apartments, The City of Minneapolis’ Housing Liaison Team is working with It Takes a Village Minnesota to help families secure permanent housing. We appreciate our community partners: Urban Homeworks, Project for Pride Living, AEON, and other properties opening their doors to the families.
We understand the depths of this situation. We are working diligently to ensure the Historic Bell Lofts is on the road to full remediation, hoping that the building will be a desired housing destination on the Northside of Minneapolis.
As such, we reserve further comment.
Thank you.
Historic Bell Lofts Team
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