Conley–Maass Building

The Conley–Maass–Downs Building, also called the Maass and McAndrew Company Building, is one of the oldest remaining commercial buildings in Rochester, Minnesota.[3]

Maass and McAndrew Company Building
The building in 2017
Conley–Maass Building is located in Minnesota
Conley–Maass Building
Interactive map showing Conley-Mass’ location
Location12-14 Fourth Street, S.W., Rochester, Minnesota
Coordinates44°1′9″N 92°27′49″W
Built1900[1]
NRHP reference No.16000278[2]
Added to NRHPMay 24, 2016

History
The building in the 1908 Sears catalog

Originally built in 1900 by the Rochester Woolen Mill Co to produce pants made from wool fabric from their mill. The woolen mill company went bankrupt in 1903, and the factory was purchased by the Conley Camera Company (established by Kerry Conley and his brother Fred) in 1904.

The Conley company and the building were featured in the 1908 Sears catalog. They remained until 1909 when they moved to a larger facility on the north side of Rochester.[4]

Maass & McAndrew Plumbing and Heating purchased the building in 1910 and occupied it until 1955. Maass & McAndrew did much work for the Mayo Clinic and one of the family members, Frederic Maass, worked with Henry Stanley Plummer in designing the Plummer Building and later became Chief Engineer at Mayo.

It has also housed the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Loyal Order of Moose, The Salvation Army, Rochester Ballet School, Masque Theatre, and Words Players.[5]

In 2016, the new owners Hunter and Traci Downs undertook a $2.2 million restoration project.[6] The main level houses a restaurant called The Bleu Duck[7] and the upper-level houses commercial office space. In 2021, Google announced occupancy within the commercial office space - marking the first Google location in Minnesota.[8]

References
  1. Billstein, Kelli (February 15, 2016). "Building our history: Conley/Maass Building". ROCHESTER, MN: Your guide to living local. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  3. Setterholm, Andrew (December 8, 2015). "New life for historic Rochester building". Rochester Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. Retrieved 2015-12-08. The story of one of Rochester's most historic buildings is soon to open a new chapter: the Rochester City Council approved a funding agreement with the owners of the Conley–Maass Building that will allow a restoration of the 115-year-old property.
  4. Baker, Sean (May 5, 2015). "New owners plan to renovate one of downtown Rochester's oldest buildings". The Med City Beat. Retrieved 2015-12-08. A Rochester couple is leading an effort to preserve one of the oldest standing commercial structures in the city.
  5. Setterholm, Andrew (September 18, 2015). "History buff? Tour Conley–Maass building tonight". Rochester Post-Bulletin. Rochester, Minnesota. Retrieved 2015-12-08. From wool to Words: One of the oldest remaining commercial structures in the city is what we call the Conley Building at 12-14 4th Street S.W.
  6. McKinney, Matt (February 20, 2016). "Rochester couple renovate historic Conley–Maass building". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  7. Bleu Duck Kitchen. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  8. "Welcome ad | Finance & Commerce". 9 April 2018.
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