Inside the Bunge Grain Elevator, Part 1

Image • • Courtney

Bunge Grain Elevator - Minneapolis, MN

First, some background history on the location.

The Midway Bunge Grain Elevator was built in 1936, and closed in 2002. A large part of the grain elevator was torn down in 2007 to make room for a housing development. The head tower and remaining structures were planned for redevelopment into housing units, but haulted due to a slump in the housing market.

There have been at least two deaths in the elevator. In 1937 James F. Wallace, 74, died after falling down a man-lift. He was a night watchman at the Bunge. The second death was Germaine Vigeant, 20, who was exploring the abandoned tower in January 2006. Around 3:30am, the University of Minnesota student was climbing the tower with a friend without a flashlight. Vigeant fell through an open hatch on the 10th floor of a silo.

Bunge Grain Elevator, Minneapolis, MN. Only the section outlined in red remains today (July 2010)
As of July 2010, only the section outlined in red remains today (July 2010). The large silos and north wing of silos were torn down in 2007, the garage area facing the train tracks was torn down within the last 6 months.

Stairs in the Bunge Grain Elevator - Minneapolis, MN.

Open holes down into the grain silos. Bunge Grain Elevator, Minneapolis, MN.

The top floor of the Bunge Grain Elevator tower.

The top floor of the Bunge Grain Elevator tower.

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