Acadia Cafe reopens 17 months after U of M bus crashed through building
MINNEAPOLIS – Acadia Cafe quietly reopened a few weeks ago in Minneapolis's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, about a year and a half after a bus plowed through the building.
The soft reopening hasn't been easy, district manager Katie Essler said, but they are thrilled to welcome back customers.
"It's all improvements overall," Essler said on the newly-repaired space.
VIDEO: Campus Bus Crashes Into Acadia Restaurant In Minneapolis' West Bank
A new owner took over the restaurant, bar and live music venue in 2020, in the thick of the pandemic.
"Riding those waves was unprecedented," Essler said.
The real hurdle came on March 15, 2022. For reasons still unknown, an 87-year-old driver of a University of Minnesota bus swerved and crashed through the building. No one was hurt, but the damage was extensive.
"Just full steam ahead, straight into the building," she said.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, the historic building is now up to code and Acadia Cafe is back open. They had to replace walls, the ceiling and part of the bar, all of which were damaged during the crash. Now back open, they hope to bring back live music seven nights a week.
"Live music in this area in particular has gotten a little more scarce since the pandemic, we've lost a couple of venues," Essler said.
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Dylan Sipprell is the new general manager who is also excited to bring back music, and rebuild the community that once enjoyed music together at Acadia.
"I think it just brings people together, and that's kind of what we need right now, is people to kind of come together and have a common interest," Sipprell said.
Acadia is working to expand its menu and hours in the coming weeks.