This 8 story building overlooking Loring Park at the corner Willow and Yale began its short life as the Nordic Hotel. Originally planned as a hospital. that was never completed it was purchased and finished by the Nordic Hotel Association in 1929. The exterior facing was of brick and Bedford stone trim. It contained 189 rooms. The L shaped structure inspired the Nordic Hotel to call for eventual construction of an additional eight story tower, but only two stories were ever erected. The hotel contained a library, donated by an anonymous Norwegian educator.
The building was planned as a Norwegian memorial structure. John C. Kuck and company are financed the project. A couple years after these auspicious beginnings, the Great Depression scuttled everything and the one million dollar project was up on the auction block for $200,000. The construction company officials couldn’t decide whether to complete the building or dispose of it. The fledgling Nordic Hotel was eventually purchased and completed by Peppard Properties Incorporated. The company spent another million dollars furnishing the building, decorating and installing, in the unfinished section of the basement a complete gymnasium, swimming pool, billiard room and other features. At the time Peppard also operated the Admiral and Parkway hotels and a number of apartment and business properties in Minneapolis.
In 1949 the King Cole was purchased by the Salvation Army for $568,000 and the former hotel was converted into a “Christian home away from home for girls”. The aim was to provide for young women, fresh off the farm and working downtown. The building was renamed the Evangeline Residence and opening ceremonies featured Minnesota Governor Luther W. Youngdahl and Minneapolis Mayor Eric C. Hoyner. Rooms at the Evangeline went for as little as $14.00 a week. In 1976, the Evangeline was torn down to make way for the Salvation Army’s Booth Manor senior citizen’s high rise. The 21-story building, named for William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, still houses moderate-income seniors on Loring Park in 156 one and two bedroom apartments. City officials originally took a glance at the possibility of remodeling the Evangeline Residence but decided that building a brand spanking new $3.3-million high-rise would be more economical.
