Hastings, Minnesota
The Confluence Hotel
Adaptive reuse of historic structure contributes to a downtown’s revitalization
As a central piece of the City of Hastings' downtown revitalization plan, the historically registered, hundred-year-old H.D. Hudson Manufacturing building was transformed from a factory into a modern mixed-use boutique hotel and apartment building. Named after the nearby confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, The Confluence Hotel reestablishes this historic landmark as a center of community, culture, and commerce.
To effectively navigate the complexity of repurposing the culturally significant landmark, local developer Patrick Regan selected Cuningham to lead planning and design. The 77-guest-room hotel features bar and restaurant Missi’s Sip & Savor, and a 350-person ballroom with sweeping views of the river and the tied-arch Hastings bridge. The hotel’s north corridor provides nine contemporary loft-style apartments that touch the water’s edge. The building also houses the Hastings Chamber of Commerce. This mix of hospitality, work, and residential experiences creates a vibrant urban hub for the local community and surrounding Twin Cities area.
Cuningham preserved the historic fabric and character of the building with thoughtful interventions that celebrate the area’s natural and industrial roots. The main lobby highlights original timber joists, steel columns, and existing brick around the transparent and perforated bar. In place of the factory’s hoistway stands a grand staircase built with the reclaimed timber floors. Outside, the building’s roofline still features its iconic domed cupolas.
Client: Confluence Development, LLC
Market: Hospitality, Residential
Size: 52,300 Square Feet
Scope: Adaptive Reuse, Renovation
Services: Interior Design
Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build
Key Project Contacts:
Inside, patrons are encouraged to interact with the craft and artisanship that supported generations of local factory employees. Custom-built furniture, lighting, and hardware repurpose materials like the building’s diamond plates, which once protected factory walls from heavy machinery. In the men’s washroom, an original shipping bay column displays faded ink from workers who used it daily to test their stamps. A wealth of preserved H.D. Hudson memorabilia within the hotel includes an original six-foot-tall scale beside the front desk.
After a five-year clean-up process and significant environmental remediation the Confluence—located just 50 feet from the shore and the Mississippi Regional trail—now provides courtyards and greenspaces for the community to rest, relax and reconnect with its natural resources.
