THE MCBEE BUILDING

The McBee Building is located at 4300 36 1/2 Street at Excelsior Blvd..  It sits on former Hanke land, and indeed in 1926 the map shows that Lydia Hanke owned the 1.25 acres where the building sits.

The Building was built in 1954, named after the company it was built for. We have not tracked down the elusive Mr. McBee, but his company moved out not too long after the building was built (to Wayzata Blvd. near Colorado). Nevertheless, it continued to be known as the McBee Building, and indeed in 1984 it was owned by the McBee Building Limited Partnership.

The 3,000 sf office building was built by Ohme and Rutledge for $23,000. From about 1956 to 1978 it was owned by Samuel S. Clyman of Clyman Investments in Hopkins. Since about 1985 it has been owned by Ronald E. Clark, North Coast Partners, Edina. In February 1983 there was a fire at the building that caused $300,000 in damages.

There have been many tenants in the building over the years. One of the most colorful was Kimiko’s Sauna. The predominantly Vietnamese masseuses had a bad habit of getting arrested for prostitution, and the City wanted them – and others like them – out of town. The Council discussed the issue at length and finally passed an ordinance in 1981.

Some other tenants include:

Lakes Employment Service
Park Salon of Beauty, run by Jackie Morehouse
Glick Chiropractic Farmer’s Insurance (1959)
Jeanne Nadal Cosmetics (1959)
Sealomatic Aluminum Ware (1959)
King Rodgers (?) (1959)
B&R Drapery and Home Furnishings (1983)
International School of Bartending (1983)

Here is the second building of the McBee Company, at 6415 Wayzata Blvd. at Dakota, in 1959.  That building is now Reflection Pools. 






 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.