It's a simple place. Brick painted in peeling gray, windows boarded up. Assembly lines once filled its walls, workers manufacturing something as nondescript and utilitarian as the building itself: handheld sprayers designed for agricultural use.

But now, as part of a revitalization effort along this stretch along the Mississippi River, the city of Hastings is making plans to transform the historic H.D. Hudson Manufacturing building — the last industrial site on the downtown riverfront — into a destination.

"The Hudson building is something that we've looked at as a great redevelopment site for probably 30, 40 years," said John Hinzman, the city's development director. "And we feel we're in a good position now to make that happen."

The 100,000-square-foot building is set to house apartments, community events space, food service and a riverfront landing connecting a nearby regional trail to a future transit corridor.

The $22.4 million project is being funded by both private and public money, including a nearly $1 million Livable Communities grant from the Metropolitan Council. It's one of eight such projects being funded across the metro area in 2015.

At a Dec. 15 meeting of the Met Council Community Development Committee, Livable Communities Chairwoman and Apple Valley Mayor Mary Hamann-Roland sang the project's praises and said she thinks it'll benefit tourism across the Twin Cities.

"It really brings us back to the river and restores our connection to that," she said.

The Hudson building restoration is a major part of the city's plans to revamp the riverfront, Hinzman said. There will be improvements to area parks and trails, plus new features including water elements and an ice rink. All of that will take about three years and cost about $4 million.

The city hired Louisville, Ky., developer City Properties Group for the Hudson project. The company is known for its work on old buildings, particularly along riverfronts. It's credited with revitalizing downtown Louisville, making restaurants and apartments out of old warehouses and marking the Louisville Slugger factory and museum with a jaunty, 10-story baseball bat.

"The key to any of these things is to really leverage the uniqueness of your historic buildings and the opportunity to create a magnet," said developer Bill Weyland.

Coveted space

Once the factory stopped operating this past summer, the Hudson building became a sought-after space.

For a while, members of the Hastings Prescott Area Arts Council (HPAAC) thought it might be a good spot for artists' lofts — a place where artists could live, work and show their art.

"Everyone saw the building as just prime for something to do with the arts," said Mecca Manz, a local artist and HPAAC member.

Though the building's residential component won't be dedicated to artists, the project will likely include some art element — maybe gallery space.

Weyland, who will work on the project with Hastings developer Pat Regan, his daughter-in-law's father, said his company was drawn to the Hudson building, in part, because of its proximity to the river. They're hoping to leverage that — the Met Council grant, for example, will be used to create a waterfront park.

"Basically, Hastings turned its back on the waterfront — much like a lot of waterfront towns," he said. "And now, they're turning back toward the waterfront."

Emma Nelson • 952-746-3287