Its tale begins in 1919, when the land was purchased by Morris Kaplan with the intent to create a manufacturing plant. When he grasped how badly the city needed housing following the war, he built a state-of-the-art hotel meant to service Bemidji’s growing population.
The building far exceeded the $30,000 estimate. Because of the swampy terrain between the Great Northern Depot and Second Street, the building had to be built on steel piers with a concrete foundation. The Pioneer reported, “That it will be solidly rooted is a fact, for 380 large piles have been driven, upon which the structure will rest, said to be one of the strongest foundations in the state.” Steel beams were installed on both the first and second floors.
A huge 16,000-pound Kewanee, Illinois boiler was installed to provide steam heat for the structure. A pipeline was laid under Second Street to connect the Kaplan Block at 202-204 Minnesota Avenue with this new structure. Kaplan’s Block north of Second Street housed Clifford & Co., which carried groceries, flour and feed.
While there was considerable excitement about the development, there was some disappointment with the plans, since an alternate dream for the land was a city park.
During the planning, Kaplan changed the layout of the interior several times. Instead of 40 single-room apartments, he changed the plans to 20 two-room apartments, two three-room apartments, and 24 single rooms. The Pioneer reported in an article on January 13, 1920: “There will be 54 lavatories, 17 baths and 17 toilets. The two sides facing the streets will be enclosed by glass entirely, all of which has already arrived. Over 27,000 feet of maple flooring will be used in the new structure.”
After the hotel opened, it quickly became a landmark in town. Within the first year the lower floors were home to a café, a floral company, and even a harness shop.
One of the main demographics who occupied the hotel were young women stepping out on their own. Serving as a safe and respectable place for a young lady to live in the 1920s, the hotel saw success for the first decade of its existence. However, during the economic downturn of the Great Depression the hotel fell on some difficulties, and the lower floors were vacant from 1934 to 1935.
Business picked up as the economy recovered, with Bemidji Mercantile Co. moving in downstairs. In 1937, young Olga Bjornstad was a clerk for Morris Kaplan. By 1939, she was vice-president of Bemidji Mercantile. By 1942, she was president of the company. She died September 11, 1971. Sidney and Janice Moe bought the Bemidji Mercantile from her estate and ran the company for 36 years.
Known as the Bemidji Hotel Apartments in the 1960s, just over a decade later a fire broke out on the third floor in January 1973, causing 60 residents to evacuate the building in the early morning. While the damage was severe, repairs were made and the apartments reopened, rebranding to the Lakeview Apartments in 1978.
Bemidji Mercantile remained in the building until 2008, and the apartments remained on the upper floors. Tenants moved in and out, and parts of the lower floor ultimately sat vacant before Jan Burger and her business partners began leasing a section of the building in 2023.