As a nonprofit real estate developer and consultant for the arts, Minneapolis-based Artspace has had a presence in many states across the country. At this point, there are 24 completed projects, with six currently under construction and 10 in the predevelopment stage.
During their Wednesday night community presentation to about 30 people, Wendy Holmes, senior vice president for consulting and strategic partnerships, and Roy Close, director of resource development, gave an overview of some of their projects in Minnesota and other states.
“Most of our projects involve the adaptive reuse of older, historical buildings, as this fits best into the scope of our mission, but we have done new construction and a combination of the two,” said Holmes. “They allow the city to revitalize neighborhoods that became rundown in later years. We've seen this happen with several of our earlier projects.”
Live/work projects, where artists can rent affordable housing that also has studio space, make up the bulk of Artspace's projects. These buildings might also include retail space, a gallery, performance space, administrative offices for arts organizations, coffee shops and other appropriate space. Some projects encompass retail, office and work only studio space, but no living units.
Completed renovation projects in Minnesota include:
• Franklin Arts Center, Brainerd, Minn. – Artspace transformed the former Franklin Junior High School, a landmark for more than seven decades, into a multipurpose arts center with 25 affordable live/work studios for individuals and families; 37,775 square feet for artist studios, arts organizations, and arts-friendly businesses; and 36,247 square feet that will be operated by the Brainerd School District as community programs space. It opened last year.
• Kaddatz Artist Lofts, Fergus Falls – The renovated Kaddatz Hotel/Restaurant has 10 mixed income housing units on the upper two floors, 6,000 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, an art gallery on the lower level. Renovation costs were $2.4 million.
• Northern Warehouse Artists' Lofts, St. Paul – Artspace's first major project, in St. Paul's Lowertown Historic District, has two floors of arts-friendly commercial and nonprofit tenants plus 52 affordable live/work units on the upper four floors. It opened in 1990.
• Frogtown Family Lofts, St. Paul – Artspace's second live/work project, this includes 36 apartments. Residents also share landscaped gardens, a children's play area and a common art gallery where tenants can exhibit their work. This opened in 1992.
• Washington Studios, Duluth – The renovated Washington Junior High School was transformed into an affordable live/work artists' cooperative, with 39 live/work units, a gallery, two dance studios, three music rehearsal rooms, meeting rooms, laundry rooms, a project room, a children's playground and a large parking lot.
• Hennepin Center for the Arts, downtown Minneapolis – This provides affordable office, studio and performance space for more than 17 Twin Cities arts organizations.
