Minneapolis preservation panel denies demolition of 1889 John Cook House at 948 Eighteenth Ave. NE

The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission denied a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the Tyler Street Northeast John Cook House at 948 Eighteenth Avenue Northeast, voting 9-0 on Sept. 30, 2025. The commission concluded staff had shown reasonable alternatives to demolition and that the applicant had not proven the building’s condition required demolition as the only remedy.

The commission’s action came after presentations from city planning staff, the property representative and a structural engineer, and public comment from neighborhood residents who urged preservation of the landmark. The house was designated a Minneapolis landmark in 2021 for social and architectural significance; staff said the building retains its historic integrity despite deterioration.

City planning staff recommended denial. Rob Skolicki, Senior City Planner in CPED’s Historic Preservation Section, told commissioners the department’s analysis found the demolition application did not meet required findings for destruction. “Staff found that the application doesn't meet those five findings,” Skolicki said, adding that removal would eliminate character-defining features and that the submitted materials did not prove the building must be demolished to correct unsafe conditions. Skolicki also noted the property has been on the city’s Vacant Building Registration since 2014 and “has not been secured or maintained” to the code’s requirements under Title 23, Chapter 599, Article 11.

The applicant, Todd Smith of Master Properties, representing owner Abu Bakr Jibril, disputed staff’s assessment. Smith said two structural engineering reports (one from 2022 and one from 2025) and a reconstruction cost estimate support the owner’s case that the building is unsafe, structurally unsound and economically infeasible to restore. “The house is dangerous, and it's a danger to the community,” Smith said, adding that the owner purchased the property in 2019 intending to redevelop it and that the house was later nominated for landmark designation without the owner's consent.

Charlie Robinson, the licensed professional engineer who prepared the April 2025 assessment for Paulson & Clark Engineering, described visible failures and water- and masonry-related deterioration on the exterior and noted interior framing and bearing-wall concerns after interior walls had been removed. Robinson said portions of the front porch and brick facade would require dismantling and rebuilding and that some brick elements likely will need replacement rather than tuckpointing. He concluded, “In my opinion, I do think that the building is unstable and unsafe in its current condition.”

Commissioners raised questions about maintenance history, the completeness and consistency of the structural reports, and whether the damage reflected neglect or permitted demolition activity. Commissioner Thomas said the commission must uphold the preservation ordinance and expressed concern about unpermitted interior demolition. “Granting an approval for this would effectively reward that unpermitted work,” Thomas said, arguing that approvals should not reward owners who bypass requirements.

Several neighbors urged denial and said the house remains a valuable neighborhood resource. Karen Gribna, who lives nearby, supplied a timeline of observations and described repeated concerns about lights, people entering the building and interior activity she reported to the city. “It’s been discouraging to see it just not maintained and fall into disrepair,” said resident Andrew Hirsey. Matt Alley and Adam Sage, other nearby residents, also urged the commission to deny demolition and to pursue alternatives that would preserve the landmark.

Commissioner Melbourne moved to deny the certificate of appropriateness; Commissioner Wallace seconded. The clerk called the roll; the motion carried 9-0 (Booty absent). The recorded roll call listed Commissioners Alexander, Hair, Corrado, Melblum, Rodriguez, Thomas, Wallace, Masten and Chair Bjornberg as voting aye.

CPED recommended denial after comparing designation documentation, historic integrity, structural reports and the applicant’s cost estimate and concluding that reasonable alternatives to demolition exist. Staff emphasized that the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Minneapolis code provisions on maintenance weigh against demolition absent conclusive proof of imminent collapse.

The commission’s decision denies the owner’s request to demolish the landmarked Cook House. The transcript shows staff, applicant representatives and neighborhood speakers provided competing technical and historical evidence during the public hearing; commissioners cited both the owner’s responsibility to maintain landmarked properties and the need for conclusive, consistent engineering evidence before approving demolition of a designated resource.

The commission moved on to other agenda items after the vote; no subsequent motion to reconsider the demolition denial is recorded in the transcript.