Mortenson Opens Luxury Minneapolis Property
The 283-unit community Rafter was designed by Cuningham Group and features local art and neighborhood inspiration.
Rafter. Image courtesy of Cuningham Group
A new luxury community filled with amenities and local art is now open. Mortenson Development has completed Rafter, its 283-unit multifamily community in northeast Minneapolis. Mortenson, along with US Bank, hired Cuningham Group as the project’s architect, conceptual and interior designer.
Located at 333 Hennepin Ave. E., Rafter offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans with penthouse options. At 26 stories tall and totaling 407,530 square feet, the property will also house 6,000 square feet of retail and an attached seven-story 279-space parking structure for the retail and residents.
Rafter’s list of amenities includes a fitness center, a club room, a makers room with workbenches and tool rental, coworking spaces with lounges, private offices and a conference room, a private dining area with a full catering kitchen and fireplace, a concierge, a coffee bar, refrigerated storage, Wi-Fi in the common areas, a dog run and more.
Outside of Minnesota, Cuningham also designed a 293-unit community in Lakewood, Colo., that recently received $47.2 million in construction financing.
CUNINGHAM’S CONTEXTUAL DESIGN
Jeff Schoeneck, the live studio leader for Cuningham, said in prepared remarks that the vision for Rafter was luxury apartments with a modern design that also preserves northeast Minneapolis’ industrial and working-class history. Jeremiah Johnson, Cuningham’s lead designer for Rafter, said in prepared remarks that the project team utilized a brick base and a mix of white and textured charcoal concrete for the exterior to blend into the surrounding neighborhood.
As for the interiors, Stephanie Thompson, Cuningham’s lead interior designer for the project, said in prepared remarks that wood tones were used to balance the building’s exposed concrete columns. Thompson also added in her prepared statement that the color palette of Rafter’s interiors has light and dark finishes that contrast each other for a gallery-like atmosphere.
The interiors also feature photographs, paintings and sculptures by local artists that are placed throughout Rafter’s common areas. In looking for local artists, the project team hired two artists-in-residence who received a year lease for their art found throughout Rafter.
