Minnesota Star Tribune closes Minneapolis printing plant as staff reflect on the end of an era

The smell of ink, paper, oil and metal clung to the air. Shredded newspaper dangled from a milelong stretch of conveyors that shuttled millions of pages every week.

After decades of work and generations of history, the Minnesota Star Tribune has stopped the presses at its Heritage Center printing plant in Minneapolis. The plant’s last newspaper was printed Dec. 28.

As more readers find their news online, the Star Tribune is meeting its audience with an expanding digital presence. But the traditional newspaper will still be printed and delivered seven days a week.

The Heritage facility has whirred with grand machinery and steadfast workers who sent the “daily miracle” to Minnesotans’ doorsteps for nearly 40 years. But teams of hundreds whittled down to dozens as the site most recently operated at 18% of its full capacity.

While Heritage’s discontinuation seemed inevitable to many familiar with the volatile newspaper industry, the plant’s closure signaled the end of an era.

Over the past few weeks, production workers, many of whom have worked at the plant for decades, and other newspaper staff celebrated the legacy of the plant at 800 N. 1st Street.

Tony Ware, who worked at the Heritage printing plant for the past 25 years, hugs former employee Sharon Sledge during a “homecoming” event at the Minneapolis facility Dec. 13. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

More than 100 current and former Star Tribune workers filed into the Heritage Center on Dec. 13 for a “homecoming” event. Green and white balloons floated near tables stationed across the 500,000-square-foot facility. A DJ played “Family Reunion” by the O’Jays as giant blue, red and white machines hummed and hissed nearby.