ANDALE TAQUERIA AND MERCADO
7700 Nicollet Av. S., Richfield
Type: Retail
Building size: 4,800 square feet
Developer: John D. Gross Commercial Real Estate
Architect: Julie Snow Architects
Contractor: Benson-Orth General Contractors
Details: One of the original former Embers restaurants in the Twin Cities, opened in 1961 in Richfield, has been given a loving makeover and is getting set for a summer debut as the Andale Taqueria and Mercado.
Developer John D. Gross, who specializes in refurbishing free-standing urban commercial buildings, said he bought the former restaurant three years ago as a speculative investment, not knowing exactly what he would do with it.
"The owners' father had built the building in 1961 for Embers, and they had been the only tenant there for all those years," Gross said. "Embers eventually went to franchising, and whoever the operator was by 2008 said he would leave when the lease was up. The owners didn't want the building empty."
Gross' plan was to bring back the feel of what it was.
"My bankers thought I was just going to tear it down and start over with something new, and I said, 'Oh no, it's a midcentury retail gem and it just has to be brought back and kind of reinterpreted."
The 1,300-square-foot original structure, which features an upswept roof that cantilevers over the outside walls, is a prime example of expressive roadside architecture from the 1950s and '60s that found form in hamburger chains. Gross installed floor-to-ceiling glass curtainwall to accentuate the unusual roofline and made extensive interior renovations.
The second part of the effort was to build a companion structure for the newly signed tenants: Fernando Mellado-Barboza and Jorge Garcia Robles, owners of the popular Cinco de Mayo Mercado on Nicollet Avenue S. The pair had a concept for another Mexican grocery/bakery/deli, only this time paired with a sit-down taco restaurant. The result is the new Andale Taqueria and Mercado.
Gross brought in Matthew Kreilich of Julie Snow Architects to help design a new 3,400-square-foot connecting structure that will house Andale's delicatessen and grocery, while the former Embers will serve as its restaurant. The new structure, built by Benson-Orth General Contractors, plays off the first and features the same floor-to-ceiling glass.
Mellado-Barboza said he's aiming for a July grand opening.
DON JACOBSON
Don Jacobson, a freelance writer based in St. Paul, can be contacted at hotproperty.startribune@gmail.com.
