Kraus-Anderson

10/14/2026

Want to know how to build the perfect studio space? In our latest podcast, host Kaitlin McCoskey sits down with TrueLens Community Media Executive Director Ann Schweisguth and KA's APM Joe McCormick to discuss all the factors to consider. Thank you TrueLens Community Media for this fun crossover episode!

Hit the link to watch! 🔗 https://youtu.be/nJJAcUrvpBM

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

10/12/2026

We are proud to sponsor Construction Inclusion Week. This industry, and KA, is built by diverse people of diverse backgrounds coming together to creatively strategize, problem-solve and work together. It takes every one of us with all of our unique backgrounds to make amazing projects a reality. ❤️ 🖤

It takes all of us to open doors.

Construction Inclusion Week is strengthened by companies across the industry choosing to show up, participate, and invest in the work.

We’re grateful to recognize Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company, Vanderlande, Sloan Valve Company, and Kraus-Anderson as 2026 CIW Supporters.

Together, their support helps us bring resources, conversations, and opportunities to more people throughout the construction industry.

Thank you for being part of the collective effort behind CIW 2026.

10/09/2026

The University of Minnesota, through the Minnesota Digital Library, provides the world with a treasure trove of Minnesota-related images, texts, maps, and AV recordings. Since J. L. Robinson, the founder of Kraus-Anderson, built so many architectural landmarks in Minneapolis, I was surprised that searching his name points only to an obscure (if handsomely illustrated) catalog for the Paul J. Kalman concrete reinforcement company. Kalman was a St. Paul business leader who, among other things, helped pioneer reinforced concrete construction. As a general contractor, J.L. Robinson worked on some of the earliest examples of this type of construction in the Twin Cities, so the catalog reveals a hitherto unknown cross-river association. When Robinson built the Fawkes “Automobile display and sales building” (more recently known as Loring Corners) or when he built concrete mansions for architect Harry Wild Jones, the engineering was provided by the Paul J. Kalman Co. Also, perhaps more profitably, the steel reinforcing was provided by the same company. Through the 1920s Kalman gobbled up competing suppliers of reinforcing bar, but in 1931 St. Paul lost its position as the center of the reinforced concrete universe when Bethlehem Steel purchased Kalman Steel for almost a million dollars.

10/02/2026

We were honored to be part of the (MBP) event at U.S. Bank Stadium, bringing together some of Minnesota’s largest employers to celebrate corporate giving, community engagement, and the ways we can make a difference together.

Our installation highlighted , an initiative of the Kraus-Anderson Community Foundation, and our work alongside Su***de Awareness Voices of Education to raise awareness and help address mental health challenges in our industry.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn more, share a conversation, or simply show their support. And thank you to the MBP for creating space for organizations like ours to share the work we care so deeply about.

We truly are better together. ❤️

10/01/2026

Mostly because of the shopping centers that Kraus-Anderson has operated, the KA archive is delightfully populated with pictures of family-friendly events. The folders on Blaine’s Pioneer Village don’t disappoint in this respect. Built by Kraus-Anderson in 1978, and originally (presumably) named after nearby Pioneer Park, the shopping center is now called Blaine Town Center. Along with pictures of children being entertained, there is a remarkably complete record of how the intersection of Central and 125th was developed. Calling a strip mall the center of Blaine might be a stretch, but before you is photographic evidence that this humble addition to the built environment did in fact bring people together for something more than shopping.

09/25/2026

A sincere thank you to Horwitz for supporting Sporting Change 2026.

Their sponsorship helps the Kraus-Anderson Community Foundation support Su***de Awareness Voices of Education and its IBEAM program, which brings mental health and su***de prevention training to the construction industry.

Every conversation, every connection, and every show of support helps create a stronger construction community.

***dePrevention

09/24/2026

What a day! The rain couldn't stop volunteers from completing this amazing home renovation in with the amazing Hearts & Hammers 🏠 Work included painting, scraping, landscaping and building a brand new fence all in one day, with the help of a smaller crew putting in some serious prep work 😁

An extra special thank you to BrandSafway for donating the scaffolding and your team's time to help us pull this all together!

This year marks 29 years of the Kraus-Anderson tradition, and there’s something magical about what can happen when a group of people comes together with a shared purpose for one day. ✨

A huge shoutout to our incredible Team Captain, Matt Peterson, and lead volunteers, Matt Mikkelson and Malia Lee, for helping make the day happen. And thank you to every KA’er who brought their time, energy and talents to the project!

09/24/2026

Kraus-Anderson’s archive contains file cabinets full of properties once owned by KA, and one such file contains an image of a property that still haunts the west metro. The Pearl Diver restaurant opened in 1978. It was located on Wayzata Blvd in Minnetonka. If the Polynesian themed eatery were open today, it would be found on the extremely well-trafficked junction of 394/494, and the building that once housed the Pearl Diver can, in fact, be visited today: It’s been repurposed as Morrie’s Minnetonka Mazda. Once clad in the soft brown materials that expressed its Polynesian theme, it was difficult to tell that this structure was built to outlast its original use, but 1977 construction photos reveal that Pearl Diver had bones of masonry and steel. The restaurant only lasted for about five years. Its location was a good one for a destination restaurant, but once Interstates 494 and 393 were completed, it was a fantastic location for a car dealership. And the circular structure turned out, perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, to be perfectly suited for its new role, surviving as such for over three decades.

09/23/2026

We had a blast at the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota tournament, raising funds for student scholarships and sponsoring the bingo board! We were even part of the Top Team thanks to Jake Boerboon. Thanks for having us again ! 🎯

09/21/2026

What an amazing showing from our MAC team for the Special Olympics Minnesota ! 1st place in the construction devision!🎉

Teams of up to eight people competed to pull a 23-ton jet as quickly as possible, and this year the event raised $115,000 in support of Special Olympics athletes across Minnesota.

Well done to everyone involved, and thank you for supporting this important cause with us!