Laborers Local 563: Local Will Move This Coming Spring to New Union Hall Near U.S. Bank Stadium

Laborers Local 563’s union hall will move this coming spring to a new high-visibility location just about kitty-corner from U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

“We needed a bigger space,” said Joe Fowler, Local 563 business manager. “We literally don’t have enough space for the staff we have,” he said, plus many union meetings can become standing-room-only.

Formerly the site of Douglas Corporation, Local 563’s new quarters will be in a one-story building built in 1959 at 620 12th Avenue South and will offer about 32,000 square feet, Fowler said.

That’s about four times larger than the 8,000 square feet at Local 563’s current building, located at 901 14th Ave. NE — just off of Central Ave. in northeast Minneapolis — which has served the local since 1977.

The move also was prompted, Fowler said, when the City of Minneapolis rezoned a parking lot that members could use at the current union hall. “We started looking for a new location with more parking.”

At the new location, “we will have an event space/union hall that can be rented out for events,” Fowler said. “We’ll also have a rooftop patio” — with a postcard perfect view of U.S. Bank Stadium. “We intend to rent it out for events.”

The new site offers 90 parking spots plus additional public parking nearby.

Renovations at the new site began in September 2023, with substantial completion expected by April 2024. M.P. Johnson Construction is the general contractor.

“We will have our branding on the building,” Fowler noted, including the Local 563 logo on the roof and, on the rooftop patio, sun-shades with the orange and blue colors of the Laborers International Union of North America. Colored lights on the exterior will be able to change to purple for Vikings game days.

Local 563’s current building will be put up for sale, Fowler said, while the union was able to purchase the new building “at an affordable cost” due to the currently depressed real estate market in downtown Minneapolis.

“It was important for us to stay in Minneapolis,” Fowler said. “Even though we cover two-thirds of Minnesota… we’re known as the Minneapolis local.”

At the new location with its high visibility, “you’ll be able to see the LIUNA flag and the U.S. flag,” Fowler said. “We want people to see our union hall and ask, ‘who are they and what do they do?’”