Quinlan Room hailed as downtown Minneapolis event venue
The first public event featured Rock Hall of Fame guitarist Phil Manzanera and his memoir.
By Jon Bream
The Minnesota Star Tribune
“I should jam with him,” Manzanera joked. “Now I forgot what I was saying.”
Such is life at the Quinlan Room, a new event space in an old building in downtown Minneapolis. Actually, a real old building, the Young-Quinlan, that will turn 100 years old in June.
The Dakota, the venerable 41-year-old music club and restaurant a block away, is operating the Quinlan Room. You never know what sounds will be heard on Nicollet Mall. You never quite know what kind of event will be at the Quinlan Room.
A wedding, a corporate party, a fundraiser, a cocktail affair or a book talk with live music, the Quinlan’s inaugural public event that took place in front of a sold-out crowd of 170 people.
Manzanera, best known as the guitarist for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Roxy Music, signed copies of his self-published memoir, “Revolución to Roxy,” played a few selections on electric guitar and engaged in a long-winded conversation with longtime Twin Cities DJ Mary Lucia.
Bonnie Hancock of Minneapolis was excited to return to the Quinlan Room. She had fond memories of buying a Bill Blass coat on layaway at the Young-Quinlan Department Store, which closed in 1985.
“I still have the coat,” she said. “I wear it for Christmas.”
A Roxy music fan, she was clutching her autographed copy of “Revolución to Roxy,” the story of a young British boy who moved to Cuba at age 5 (his dad was a member of MI6 in charge of setting up an airline operation), then to Hawaii, Venezuela and back to London.
“I love this place,” Hancock said of the Quinlan.
“It’s so casual and open like the Cedar,” said her husband Joe Weyandt, referring to the Cedar Cultural Center on the West Bank.
“It’s quaint,” said Cheri Diderrich of Rochester. “It’s good to use such a beautiful space.”
Rick Nelson, retired Star Tribune reporter who is writing a biography of building owner and founder Elizabeth C. Quinlan, called it “the most beautiful space in downtown Minneapolis. Damn, that space looks great. I’d love to have a party there.”
Nelson shouted out developers Bob and Sue Greenberg, whose 614 Company restored it in 1985. Three years later, the building was designated as a local landmark by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission.
The five-story building most recently housed JB Hudson jewelry store (2008-21) and Strive Bookstore (2024-25), which moved across the street.
The Quinlan Room features a grand marble staircase, deco light fixtures, arched windows and other fine architectural features original to the building. It has the last elevator in the city operated by an elevator operator.
Others had memories of this space.
John Meegan of Top Shelf Custom Clothiers remembers the tie bar at Young Quinlan where businessmen lined up to make purchases from a young woman back in the 1970s. He appreciated the evolution of the building.
“It’s not a performance venue,” he said, “but it’s perfect for a thing like this [book event]. It’s nice to bring life to this part of town.”
Aidan Bistrup of Shakopee, probably the youngest person at age 26 at the Manzanera event, said he felt lucky to experience a musician with a historic career for $60 versus paying $200 to $300 for the cheap seats for Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga or Olivia Rodrigo that his contemporaries were attending.
Lowell Pickett, the Dakota’s co-owner, was beaming on Wednesday.
“I’m happy with the way the room feels with people,” he said.
The Quinlan Room got high marks from others who have visited.
Joe Kaiser, a longtime cello teacher at MacPhail Center for Music, led six cello students in performance at the Quinlan on April 25 at the MacPhail After Dark cocktail party and fundraiser. His group was stationed at the top of the staircase.
“The ceiling is low up there. It helped to push the sound into a bigger space,” he said. “It went pretty well. I’ve lived in Minneapolis for 30 years and wondered: ‘What was this space?’ It’s a really nice space.”
Pat Courtemanche, chief marketing officer at Dorsey & Whitney law firm, attended a dinner for event planners at the Quinlan Room. He was impressed.
“It’s very scalable, for a big or small crowd,” he said. “If the Dakota was not involved, I’d be ho-hum. But it’s got great potential for being an event space. We will end up using it.”
At the Manzanera event, veteran Twin Cities musician and playwright Chan Poling was contemplating the potential of the Quinlan Room with bandmate John Munson of the New Standards.
“We’re brainstorming,” Poling said. “We gotta do something here. Maybe something theatrical. It’s so cool.”