Aldsworth Building looks ideal as a coworking space. Are there others?

Aldsworth Building Aldsworth Building, interior Aldsworth Building, interior
I’m excited about the possibility of a coworking space in Northfield. See my Dec. 6 blog post, NEC convenes coworking group; photos of CoCo MSP’s new Mpls space show what’s possible.

I toured all three floors of the Aldsworth Building at 19 Bridge Square yesterday, courtesy of Leah Rich at Neuger Communications Group. The Aldsworth is connected to their new space at 25 Bridge Square, formerly the Community Resource Bank.

The Aldsworth seems ideal for a coworking space: smack in the middle of downtown, many small offices, two kitchens, an elevator, and several larger conference-type rooms, two of which overlook Bridge Square (above photos).  Here’s the floor plans PDF:

Aldsworth Building Floor Plan

and a few more photos:

DSC05689 DSC05692 DSC05693 

DSC05706 DSC05708 DSC05703

Are there other spaces in Northfield that would be ideally suited for a coworking space?

12 Comments

  1. Diane Burry said:

    How about 1001 Division St. South? At the edge of downtown, formerly the CAC, and has a commercial kitchen for food related incubator businesses…

    December 13, 2011
  2. kiffi summa said:

    Now that sounds like a spectacular idea… the fact that 1001 Division has a commercially approved kitchen makes a great incubator space for those trying out their restaurant skills, before entering into such an expensive arena.

    Having had food service businesses in our building downtown, and interviewing many, many, restaurant hopefuls over the years, I can see a version of the pop-up store, i.e. the pop-up restaurant, being a fabulous way for a hopeful restauranteur to try her/his skills/menu out with the public…
    OR… maybe a group could go together and have different menus,different days, and there’s the big former sanctuary room for an eating space that would accommodate a lot of socializing, music, etc…

    Hey… Go for it!

    December 13, 2011
  3. What’s being done with the second floor of the Lansing Hardware building?

    1001 S Division actually seems like a good idea, too. (Though in full openness, Diane, you might have mentioned that you own that building, for those who don’t know.) I’d like to see more development at Woodley and Division — with 1000 S Division apparently abandoned and 1001 only in use as a residence, it’d be great to bring more there.

    I’d be interested in coworking in the Aldsworth building, too, though. Griff, is Neuger using Aldsworth, or are they interested in developing it as a coworking space? It doesn’t seem like you’d need a ton of “coworkers” to make a go of a space — CoCo charges 250/mo for full-time access to a space. While I’d imagine rates in Northfield might be a bit lower, still seems mutually beneficial for coworker and host.

    December 21, 2011
  4. kiffi summa said:

    I think the most important component of this discussion is the economic one:how big is the space decided upon, how many workers can it accommodate, and can the fees charged cover the costs.

    When some models are worked out, and interest shown, then some decisions can be made… and Megan Tsui has said that she will be using a group of interns to work on the model after the first of the year.

    December 22, 2011
  5. Griff Wigley said:

    Sean, no, Neuger is not using the Aldsworth Building at all right now. But it’s heated and I think they’d have a quick solution for internet access.

    Beth Closner and Randy Lutz of Construction Consulting Partners own the Lansing Hardware building but I’ve no clue what’s happening on the 2nd floor.

    December 23, 2011
  6. Griff Wigley said:

    Angela Lautenbach wrote on Twitter the past few days here, here, and here:

    I’ve always thought the sundowner spot across from furlong would make a great place for loft/workspace/carrol.

    Also- why downtown? There’s no parking & you’re exposed to the same things day in/out.

    I don’t know enough re: group’s size/needs/goals to place it, but think outside downtown best.

    December 23, 2011
  7. Griff Wigley said:

    Angela, I think the advantages of being in downtown Northfield would be a big factor in attracting people to a coworking space: vibrancy, visibility, and walkability right on Bridge Square and Riverwalk.

    December 23, 2011
  8. Griff Wigley said:

    Inc. Magazine: 6 Reasons to Build Your Start-up in a Coworking Space

    In the very early days of your company, it might make sense to call your garage (or basement or kitchen table) headquarters. But at a certain point, it doesn’t suffice. There are only so many times you can bring clients to the same Starbucks for a meeting. And even the most passionate entrepreneur is bound to see productivity wane when spouses, kids, dogs, or all of the above inevitably hover near your workspace.

    This is precisely why coworking spaces were invented—and why they’re increasingly popping up in more cities.

    December 23, 2011
  9. Megan Tsui said:

    There may be a game changer….

    I met with two gentleman from town that are exploring the possibility of opening a for-profit coworking space in Northfield! They are currently looking at vacant spaces and putting together their plan. Stay tuned!

    Megan

    December 23, 2011
  10. Griff Wigley said:

    Hey that’s great to hear, Megan.

    Do they hope/plan to start soon?

    Will they pay me for my list of interested possible tenants? 😉

    December 24, 2011
  11. Megan Tsui said:

    What do you think?

    Come to the Community Dialogue and tell us!
    January 31st from 2 to 4 pm at the Archer House lower level conference room.
    Share your ideas, thoughts, and dreams about a Coworking Incubator/Accelerator space in Northfield!

    It’s free…and there will be delish refreshments from Bittersweet.
    [file]https://locallygrownnorthfield.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NECMeetingFlyer-Megans.pdf[/file]

    January 23, 2012
  12. Megan Tsui said:

    Griff,
    The NEC is moving forward with the idea of a non-profit Coworking Incubator/Accelerator space.

    Megan

    January 23, 2012

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