Duluth-Based Developer Bringing New Life To Former Bank Building In Lincoln Park

DULUTH, Minn. – Titanium Partners’ Brian Forcier, one of downtown Duluth’s leading developers, has begun his first investment into the resurging Lincoln Park Craft District. It’s not in the form of housing or another eatery. But Forcier told says the space he’s creating is all part of what’s needed to make a neighborhood tick, as FOX 21’s Dan Hanger reports.

“If you look back at old pictures of downtown — the vibrancy of it, and that’s what we’re trying to do here. And I hope that others take note in the downtown and follow suit,” Forcier said at a press event last fall about a housing and commercial redesign of the historic Ordean Building downtown.

Historic photo of former Duluth National Bank/US Bank

And now, as 2024 begins, Forcier is transforming another historic building – this time in Lincoln Park in what was once known at the Duluth National Bank and later U.S. Bank.

“We’ve got what most people know is the former U.S. Bank — the cool art deco columns and, you know, big façade and big windows,” Forcier explained.  The building still has the big money vault with an impressive 5,000-pound door.

“Really to provide a space that was unique that nobody else was really looking at. And that was, you know, commercial office space,” Forcier said.

Part of the main level will become regional headquarters for Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. Forcier says the company plans to use the vault as a meeting space. As for the top floor, there will be room for two to three tenants, preferably office space of some kind, according to Forcier.

“Could be even medical office tenants that want to be in this area and serve the needs of the community,” Forcier said.

Meanwhile, the other half of the main floor has been flipped into Toys For Keeps, which moved out of Canal Park last year after nearly 20 years there.

First level of Duluth National Bank back in the day

“It should be really fun. We’re gonna start having events here. We weren’t able to do that in Canal Park. We didn’t have the room,” explained Cindy McCabe, co-owner of Toys For Keeps.

McCabe says she’s also excited to become part of a neighborhood, compared to tourist-focused Canal Park.

“Here is a neighborhood, so you get your regulars. I had my regulars [in Canal Park], but they came from Minneapolis and they came every couple of weeks to go to their cabins, and that’s far different dynamic than it is here,” McCabe said.

It’s a resurgence of Duluth’s business climate that Forcier believes is only going to get stronger, as the city becomes what he calls more “investor ready.”

“If Duluth could become a 12-hour city, we would just kill it, we would crush it. Because right now, we’re really a six to eight hour city, meaning from, you know, eight, nine o’clock in the morning until five o’clock — if you come downtown or to some of our areas, they’re like ghost towns at five o’clock at night. We got to change that. And the way that you do that is through different opportunities for space. Could be housing could be office could be hotel,” Forcier said.

Forcier is the keynote speaker at Downtown Duluth’s annual Meeting and Celebration Feb. 7.