Overview

The Moorish Mansion Apartments are an example of the Exotic Revival architectural style.  

• Location: 3028 James Avenue South
• Neighborhood: East Bde Maka Ska

Historic profile

The Moorish Mansion Apartments are an example of the Exotic Revival architectural style. This style includes features from a variety of world cultures, typically from non-Western countries. Because these features weren’t common, they were called “exotic.”

During the 1920s, many apartment buildings were constructed in this area of the city. Their designs reflected a wide variety of Period Revival styles. Minneapolis has a lot of Colonial Revival houses. Their designs reflect the early decades of the U.S. There are also many Tudor Revival houses. They resemble English architecture. Other examples include Italian Renaissance or Spanish Colonial Revival.

The Moorish Mansion Apartments were built near the end of the Period Revival boom period in 1929. Carl J. Bard designed the four-unit building for M. E. Greenberg who also built it. It’s a modern building with stylistic features found in Islamic architecture. At the time, it evoked an idea of fantasy and far-off places. The exterior is rough-faced, reddish tan brick. The front elevation has three bays that display a variety of Moorish ornamentation. There is a copper dome, iron balconettes, and spiraled columns. Mansard roofs covered with red tiles conceal the building’s flat roof. The front entrance is decorated with Moorish arches, shaped like horseshoes. There are also colored glass insets and geometric panels around the entry.