Shea, Inc. is giving Minneapolis diners a blast from the past. The marketing, architecture, and interior design firm recently completed work on The Forum Cafeteria, the latest restaurant concept from Ringo Restaurants, Inc. that features an Art Deco style reminiscent of the venue’s roots.

Located in what had most recently been the Goodfellows Restaurant (closed 2005) at the historically registered City Center, The Forum Cafeteria draws upon the nostalgic notes inherent in the space’s original 1914 design as the Saxe Moving Picture Theater and subsequent 1930 remodel into The Forum Cafeteria. The existing original interior—which featured zigzag woodwork details, etched mirrors, and glass chandeliers—was already intact, providing the perfect inspirational backdrop for more modern inclusions, such as soft seating, intimate gathering spaces, and neutral-colored carpeting.

“The preservation of the historic features was far better than we'd hoped and we didn’t need to do much to repair them. It's great to be able to uncover such a notable design from a different time period and get to enjoy it as people once did,” says David Shea, president of Shea, Inc. “We managed to bring back a piece of history that has been sitting dormant for more than five years.”

Herringbone patterned wood flooring was also added, and the bar, which had not been a part of the original design, was relocated to the center of the restaurant to generate a visual focal point and centralize activity.

While some of the missing historic pieces were matched and repaired during renovation, the designers chose to leave some of the space’s natural signs of aging—cracks, holes, and other imperfections—as a touch of character and authenticity.

According to Shea, the venue is gaining a lot of positive feedback from the Minnesota Historical Society, the business community, and the public. For example, shares Shea, one individual even sent a letter to the food writer after he published an article about The Forum in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

I'm writing to you about someone with relevant history associated with the Forum Cafeteria…She worked as a waitress at the Forum from 1948 until 1950, during it's hay day…When she read your article in the Tuesday's paper she was as giddy as a school girl with all the reminiscing of her experiences there and then. Her eyes lit up when talking about it and got goose bumps when she saw the photos that accompanied the article…

The Forum Cafeteria opened to the public on April 23. Shea, Inc. recently entered the project in the MN Historic Preservation Awards, the winners of which will be announced on May 20.