The Rand Tower Hotel in Minneapolis has announced the expansion of its onsite F&B lineup with the addition of Bar Rufus. In addition to the lobby bar and restaurant, restaurateur Daniel del Prado will further leave his mark on the hotel with the opening of rooftop cocktail bar Miaou Miaou and French eatery Blondette later this summer.
“Usually with buildings with multiple concepts, we try to tie together something in common, but with a different purpose on the whole,” del Prado says. “[The hotel’s namesake] Rufus Rand was more than just an aviator, so we dug into his life and that was our North Star for inspiration as we worked on the concepts.”
The Gettys Group led the design of Bar Rufus, which evokes nostalgia and midcentury glitz with Art Deco elements that nod to Rand’s legacy in World War II aviation. “Rufus Rand infused himself into the architecture with wings on the exterior friezes. That inspired us to shape the windows in an Art Deco fashion adorned with the patterning he liked,” says Ryan Schommer, director of Gettys Interiors for The Gettys Group Companies. “It’s a very layered story reflecting the ethos of the period and the spirit of Rufus Rand as an adventurer, inventor, and man of the world.”
Mixed brass and nickel metals abound alongside subtle aeronautical references, including leather chairs inspired by bomber jackets. Velvet banquettes and complex grilles also complement the architectural motif, while a rotating, round brass cage showcases whiskey bottles à la the mechanical details of the Parisian Art Deco period. A large mirror is installed above the bar beside a radial propeller gear that establishes a sculptural focal point across the ceiling.
Also accenting the bar is a mural of lion sketches—an homage to the pair of French lions named Whiskey and Soda gifted to Rand by the French government in thanks for his contributions to the Lafayette Squadron during WWII.
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