Despite fire, hundreds of 911 calls, Minneapolis problem property still stands
MINNEAPOLIS — When the Dundry House Apartments caught fire in early April, it seemed the building would be on the fast track to demolition.
After all, the building had been vacant for months, leading to squatters, an abundance of 911 calls, and nearly a dozen overdoses on the property. When the building caught fire, an estimated 20 people were inside. When the fire was put out, the roof had collapsed.
Nearly a month later, however, the building stands. People routinely break into the boarded windows. More 911 calls routinely come in. This, all as its owner desperately tries to get it torn down.
Help for the homeless
Built more than 100 years ago, the Dundry House apartments sit tucked between the Interstate 35W and Interstate 94 interchange. Since 2002, local non-profit Hope Community Inc. has owned the 25-unit building, using it to help people transitioning out of homelessness.
Hope Community Interim Co-Executive Director Will Delaney says for years, it was an overall positive for the community, helping people who had previously experienced homelessness find secure, long-term housing.
After the pandemic, however, Delaney says things began to change. A detailed timeline presented to WCCO News portrays an increase in crime beginning in 2022. Then, an encampment began forming in a vacant lot adjacent to the building.
In May of 2022, Hope Community began paying for around-the-clock security at the building. Delaney estimates in total, the non-profit spent close to $500,000 on security throughout the time they paid for it.
Despite the additional security, people began breaking into the building. On June 9, 2023, someone stole the building's gas and water lines. There was nothing the non-profit could do, Delaney said. They had to close the building, work to find homes for other residents, and board the windows and doors.
"It was one of the most difficult decisions, certainly of my professional career," Delaney said.
Squatters broke through the boards and into the building the same day, 911 records show.
An emergency call
Records provided to WCCO News from the Minneapolis Office of Community Safety show 147 individual 911 calls to the Dundry House property over the past 18 months.
When the boards went up and squatters broke in this past June, police continued to receive calls for "prowlers", "unwanted persons" and other trespassers. Around Thanksgiving, there was a fire. There was another on Christmas Eve. Then, on April 4, came the biggest fire to date. The entire top floor of the building was in flames.
"It is like the bottom dropping out kind of moment," Delaney said. "Immediately I knew, oh no – we've got a major problem."
Prior to the fire, Delaney said Hope had been working with another non-profit, interested in purchasing the property and continuing to use it as transitional housing. When the fire happened in April, any hope the building could be salvaged fell flat.
Minneapolis Fire Department reported 15-20 people inside the building when the fire broke out. Luckily, there were no reported injuries.
The building was reboarded once more.
The first call for a trespasser inside came five days later.
A problem property
Delaney says he knew there would be no other option but to tear the building down. He says the day of the fire, he contacted the city – asking if they could assist in an immediate demolition.
Delaney was concerned should the building sit vacant, even after a fire, it would provide more chances for people to break in and set more fires.
The response from Minneapolis Regulatory Services Director Enrique Velazquez, obtained by WCCO News, shocked Delaney.
"They said because this was not an emergency, it didn't meet their emergency definition from the city (to demolish)," Delaney said. "That it was up to the property owner to demolish it."
Delaney says his non-profit has been quoted that the job to demolish could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"We don't have the resources," he said. "I think every day this building stays standing, we're risking another fire, another major incident."
"I don't know what the fix should be, but the building should go," said Alex Johnson, who lives across the street. "It's a lot going on here. It's a lot. The police are always here. The fire department is always here… I don't even know if there's anything extra that the police can even do."
Delaney says Hope plans to find a company to do the job. Still, it could take weeks.
"This is not a case of negligent landlords who are not paying attention, don't care what happens – we care very much. We're trying our best. We just need help from the city and other partners to do what's right here," he said.
City responds
Minneapolis city leaders responded Friday, saying the city had officially filed a request this week for proposals to tear down the Dundry House.
The process could be time consuming, however, says the city's Director of Inspection Services April Bogard. The proposal application would stay open until May 17 and need to be approved by the Minneapolis City Council.
This could delay any possible demolition until July, she said.
"It does feel like a long time," Bogard said. "I think it's important to know that Hope Community wants to move this process forward on their own, we can facilitate that process. They can get their own bids, they can get their own demolition contractor, and we can work with them for any permits that are needed for part of that demolition process."
Bogard reiterated several times in an interview Friday that ultimately, Delaney and Hope Community are responsible for the building they own. Even if the non-profit would defer to the city's proposal process, they would be assessed the cost of tearing the building down.
"If Hope Community wants to take this down on their own, they can follow that process themselves," Bogard said. "They can get their own bids, secure a permit for demolitions and move it forward on their own timeline."