A Minneapolis Skyway Can Be Yours – For Free

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A unique piece of Minneapolis real estate is up for grabs -- and it won't cost you a single penny to own it.

The owners of CityDeskStudio are giving away an old section of skyway built in the 1970s.

The glass bridge used to connect former JCPenney and Powers stores over 5th Street, but was removed to make way for light rail construction.

Bob Ganser and Ben Awes bought the skyway for $5,000 in 2006 because they saw potential for the old building.

"We could see it being a cabin, we could see it being a community center, an art studio coffee shop," CityDeskStudio's Bob Ganser said.

Awes says it was love at first sight.

"We fell in love with it, because we're architects, and we had no idea what to do with it," Awes said.

Knowing someone else may see its value, they put it up for sale.

"We started selling it at $80,000 and thought, heck, this is a deal. To build a new skyway is over a million dollars and thought someone has to need it for at least that again," Awes said.

Offers came, but never closed. Ganser and Awes dropped the price, but still no buyer. Now, they have a new offer: it's free.

"It's going on 10 years and we just want to see it used. We just don't have financial wherewithal to do it ourselves and it's time," Ganser said.

There will be some cost to the new owner. Years of non-use have taken a toll on the inside. Repairs to broken glass and concrete will need to be made.

The new owner will also have to pay to tow the skyway to a new location. That can range in price from $30,000 - $80,000 depending on location.

"The moving cost is the challenge because it weighs 120 tons," Awes said.

To sweeten the deal, Ganser and Awes will chip in $5,000 of the towing fee, a small price to pay to avoid their only other option.

If no buyers come forward, the business partners plan to demolish and scrap the skyway.

"It's a piece of the city's history and the skyway is such an iconic symbol of the Twin Cities," Ganser said.

New offers are already bringing the promise of new possibilities, while still preserving a piece of Minneapolis history.

"For whoever owns this it's going to be a remarkable thing for new business potentially, or a new home or homeowner," Awes said.

City Desk Studio is accepting proposals through the month of February. Click here for more information.