Clyde Park is about more than hockey

As fate would have it, youth hockey might be just what Clyde Park needs, and Clyde Park might be just what youth hockey needs. At least, that’s the gamble Giuliani is taking by donating the majority of his property — not to mention some buildings and money invested toward site improvements — to the nonprofit Duluth Heritage Sports Center.

The list of individuals and entities directly or indirectly involved in the sports center is long and the stakes are high, but the majority of the risk at Clyde Park is on Giuliani’s shoulders. And he doesn’t seem worried.

“For me, this is obviously not driven by a profit motive,” he said.

“We’re creating a community gathering location. That’s what I want Clyde to be known for.”

A century of history

Giuliani, a former accountant and garbage company owner, bought the Clyde Park property in 2003. For more than a century the 10.5 acres in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood had been home to heavy industry.

From the early to mid-1900s, Clyde Iron Works was a major manufacturer of Whirley cranes, cargo hoists, derricks and other equipment used in some of America’s biggest construction projects. Clyde’s Duluth operation closed in 1986. Two smaller companies emerged to keep the industrial tradition alive on the site until 2003.

Since then, Giuliani has been working on his plans to redevelop the property. He expanded the size of the project in 2004 when he and his wife Dawn purchased the neighboring Duluth Malting & Brewing Co. building, home of another once-proud but long-closed Duluth business.

Giuliani’s plan always has been to reuse as many buildings as possible and incorporate as much of the history of Clyde Iron Works available through old photos, equipment and other artifacts.

“That history will be told,” Giuliani said. “People don’t know how vital that company was. It’s important for me that people understand we have a lot to be proud of.”

A congregational place

The for-profit elements of Clyde Park fall primarily into five components: a hotel, indoor soccer center, sports medicine building, a microbrewery and a marketplace. It will amount to about a $15 million investment on top of Giuliani’s donations to the Heritage Sports Center, and produce 70 new jobs.

Each element of Clyde Park is intended to drive business to the others.

Giuliani is most excited about the marketplace, which he said will be the centerpiece of the development. It will feature everything from fresh produce, baked goods and candy to eateries selling homemade tamales, raviolis and brick-oven baked pizzas.

“It’ll be something like you’d see in Europe or Central America,” Giuliani said. “It’ll be a congregational place where all your senses will be heightened.”

Food from the market also will serve a 34-room hotel expected to host families traveling for hockey tournaments at the sports center.

Giuliani expects those families also to be interested in trying the handcrafted beer, soda and energy drinks manufactured at the revamped Duluth Brewing & Malting Co. He plans to seek out top brewers from Germany to come to Duluth and hone their craft. A sporting goods and outdoors store will be located in the same building as the brewery.

Also part of the for-profit will be another sports facility. Giuliani plans to build an indoor multi-purpose turf field to be used primarily for soccer. There also will be space for small conferences and banquets, and an attached sports medicine wing. Giuliani said the soccer complex will be the toughest upon which to recoup costs.

“I hope it breaks even,” Giuliani said, noting the soccer component is part of reaching out to a specific market. “This is for active people. Vibrant, happy, active people,” he said.

If he builds it,will they come?

“It’s a given that people are going to be there,” Giuliani said, noting the region’s hockey obsession, and the synergy of all elements working together. “I don’t think there has ever been a project that has brought so many unique parties together.”

Giuliani also has a slew of creative ideas to capture the community’s interest. For site signage he’s bringing in a water tower. In the fall, he’s plans a pumpkin patch. In the winter, sleigh rides will be available. And he said there will be Cinco de Mayo (May 5) parties, celebrating Mexican heritage and the opening victory of the Mexican army over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. (Mexico lost the war.)

“It will be festive,” he said. “You’ll always be able to see the seasons changing.”

Construction is scheduled to be complete on all of Giuliani’s for-profit projects in June 2008.

“We’ve been working at this for four years,” he said. “The public doesn’t realize that. We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on environmental testing, design work, feasibility studies. It took a long time to get the financing together. We’ve made it over the hill. Things are looking bright.”

The Clyde Park Development

Nonprofit components

1. Duluth Heritage Sports Center Arena. Year-round hockey facility with 1,200 permanent seats. Constructed from scratch.

2. Heritage Hall. Support facility connected to the arena. Includes lobby, locker rooms, concessions, etc., as well as a Boys and Girls Club outreach recreation center in its mezzanine. Built in existing 18,000-square-foot building donated by Alessandro Giuliani.

3. Duluth Heritage Sports Center Pavilion. Multi-purpose recreation center with collapsible seating for 1,000. Constructed from scratch.

Will serve as a hockey facility from November through March. Other uses include golf, soccer, rollerblading, tennis, basketball, etc.

4. Parking lot. Spaces for 450 cars.

For-profit elements

5. Hotel. Thirty-four-unit hotel built in existing structure at 29th Ave. W. & Michigan St. It will include an atrium with a 49-foot ceiling, rooms as big as 550 square feet with 16-foot ceilings, and a swimming pool, spa and exercise room.

6. Soccer Facility. New 25,000-square-foot building on 29th Ave. W. Duluth’s first indoor turf facility. In addition to soccer, the field can be used for other sports, like lacrosse, rugby, football or baseball/softball.

7. Sports Medicine Facility. Attachment to the soccer facility for sports medicine specialists such as athletic trainers, physical therapists, nutritionists and trainers to do business. (Owned by Giuliani and leased to operators.)

8. Marketplace. Built in the oldest structure in the park, a timber-framed stable constructed for Clyde Iron Co. in 1898. The marketplace will include fresh produce, baked goods, smoked meats, candy, fresh flowers, a coffee shop and two eateries that will feature homemade tamales, ravioli, pizza and pasta.

9. Duluth Brewing & Malting Co. Built in existing structure on Helm St. used by original Duluth Brewing & Malting Co. Beer, soda and energy drinks will be produced and sold on site. A sporting goods and outdoors store also will be located in the building.

Neighbors

10. Carlson Duluth Co. Existing plumbing, heating and cooling business at 2901 Helm St. (Owned by Craig and Jeremy Carlson.)

11. Michaud Distributing, Inc. Existing beverage distribution business at 2923 Helm St. (Owned by Michaud family.)

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