Ryan Cos. opens in new Millwright office building in downtown Minneapolis

For a new building, Ryan Cos.' Millwright offices in downtown Minneapolis have the feel of a raw industrial space.

The list of industrial homages is long: exposed steel beams, a faux shipping container with phone rooms and a meeting area, large lamps made of rebar and a "cranedelier" built from parts of a salvaged tower crane. The name Millwright originally referred to carpenters who built machinery.

"For me, this is just an exciting time. … Part of why it's extra special for us is it used every one of the five service categories that we offer to the marketplace. It used development, design, construction, capital markets and property management," Collin Barr, regional president for Ryan, said during a Wednesday tour of the building.

The four-story Millwright building, located on S. 3rd Street between 5th and Portland avenues south, is the latest in the five-block, $588 million redevelopment of the Downtown East area of Minneapolis that Ryan has spearheaded.

Millwright's first tenant is Ryan Cos. itself. Ryan relocated about 290 workers from the company's home at Target Plaza to Millwright earlier this month, taking up about 65,000 square feet of space on most of the first two floors.

"For us to plant the Millwright building and our headquarters in this location was only fitting because we really have been inspired by what's happened with the community and around us in Downtown East, and we're just thrilled to be part of it," said Tony Barranco, Ryan's vice president of real estate development.

The Millwright building and Ryan's own offices serve as a showcase for what it can do for clients. The building is a collage of steel, brick and wood. The Millwright has bike storage space, showers and lockers. It's also on the skyway through its elevator connection with one of the next-door Wells Fargo towers. Millwright's most eye-catching public amenity is a multiple-tiered lobby with seating that's more typical of what would be found in hip creative offices.

"We fully expect this to be buzzing with activity," said Ashley Wurster, director of interior design.

Ryan didn't shirk on features in its own office space. The main level of its offices resembles an open assembly floor with a gallery and second-level mezzanine. The design aesthetic of its basement-level area for its main kitchen, meeting and games space was inspired by "North Loop meets North Woods," Wurster said. There are nods throughout the office to Ryan's nearly 80-year history, including a parked historic Chevrolet truck.

Ryan still has 109,000 square feet of empty space to lease.

The third floor offers a potential tenant or tenants large, arched windows. The fourth floor boasts a 3,000-square-foot outdoor terrace.

With Millwright, Ryan is trying to appeal to companies that want the look and feel of the warehouses of the popular North Loop of Minneapolis with some of the latest modern features and technology, Wurster said.

With the completion of the Millwright building, Ryan Cos. is nearly done with its massive vision for Downtown East.

A component that has yet to be realized is its 12-story Block One office tower project, which the developer wants to build close to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Ryan's plans for the building, which would be built above the parking ramp on the corner of Park Avenue and 4th Street, are contingent on finding a tenant or multiple tenants "of meaningful size," Barranco said.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495

Twitter: @nicolenorfleet