Creative Economy : Development News

The 1986-built Lake Harriet Band Shell, which is one of the Minneapolis park system's most recognizable attractions, was recently honored for its lasting design.

The American Institute of Architects Minnesota chapter (AIA MN) chose the landmark for its 25-Year Award for 2011.

Stephanie Pelzer, who is the awards program coordinator for AIA MN, says that the jury for the annual award took into account the band shell's "unique style that's open to the community."

Besides its paint color, the popular band shell has barely changed through the years, which is a testimony to the quality of its original construction, according to a prepared statement about the award.

Minneapolis-based Bentz/Thompson/Rietow designed the band shell with inspiration from the site's previous Shingle-style structures, an Architecture Minnesota story reads.

The piece also notes that the resulting structure nods to an 1891 plan for the site involving spires and a romantic turret and eyebrow truss. The 1986 features complement the vast picture window that overlooks the lake. 

Additionally, adjustable acoustic panels and a steeply pitched roof, with a stage that channels sound away from nearby residential areas, make it a good concert venue, according to a prepared statement about the award.

Also on the site is a dining area and boathouse, which came later but were a part of the band shell master plan.

Besides sprucing up the lake's then-rundown north shore, Lake Harriet's band shell "set the tone for others to follow," Pelzer says. At the time, many band shells were too "cookie-cutter," she says. In this case, the jury appreciated that "the architect took the time to study the context of the site," she adds. 
 
Source: Stephanie Pelzer, Awards Program Coordinator, AIA MN
Writer: Anna Pratt

After four years of sitting vacant, the space that once housed the Auriga restaurant in Minneapolis's Lowry Hill neighborhood will soon reopen with a unique deli concept.

The deli will be similar to those in Eastern Europe, but with a twist, according to Tobie Nidetz, a consultant on the project. Nidetz has helped open numerous restaurants in many locations.  

Citing a shortage of delis in the Twin Cities and beyond, Nidetz, who is known as "the food guy," says there's a "pent-up demand" for such a place.

He and real estate attorney David Weinstein, who lives near the space at 1930 Hennepin Avenue South, hope to fill that void, he says.  

Although specific details of the plan are still coming together, including the project's cost, physical renovations will happen mainly inside the space, while the old exterior will probably stay intact, the Southwest Journal reports.

Right now, Weinstein and Nidetz are still meeting with various designers, general contractors, and others to flesh out certain aspects of the project, including the deli's name, according to Nidetz.

However, they've already committed to a "fast casual" type of restaurant that will offer as many local, organic and sustainable products as possible, he says.

Most of the food will be made in-house. The deli will also offer desserts, coffee drinks, beer and cocktails, and more, he says.

But the signature menu item will be a variation on pastrami that's popular in Montreal.

Although the timeline is preliminary, Nidetz says he and Weinstein hope to open the deli this fall.


Source: Tobie Nidetz
Writer: Anna Pratt

Visit Saint Paul is collaborating with the city of St. Paul on a high-tech promotion that encourages people to explore downtown landmarks where various sustainability efforts are underway.

As a part of the contest, which runs until Oct. 1 and is called "Saint Paul: Code Green," players can scan large QR codes on banners that adorn 16 sites, according to Jake Spano, a city spokesperson.

QR codes are a kind of barcode that's readable by smartphones. People can also enter the contest by using text messages and paper forms. 

After scanning the QR code, participants will be directed on their phones to a website that "will give the user a branded experience based on the location they are at," which includes links to related eco-friendly facts and initiatives, according to a prepared statement about the event. 

City Hall, Park Square Theatre, and Como Park Zoo and Conservatory are just three of the many and varied venues participating.

Spano hopes the promotion helps convey how the city has become a leader in sustainability, helping to educate people about the benefits of its green initiatives both in terms of cost and energy efficiency. 

"We want to get people to think, to create a curiosity around prominent tourist attractions and drive traffic downtown," he says.

Possible home initiatives range from retrofitting old windows to switching out fluorescent light bulbs to be more energy efficient. "These are things that people can do at home and apply to their daily life," Spano says. 

Additionally, participants have the chance to win various green prizes, including a 2011 Chevrolet Volt, an energy-efficient furnace, an Energy Star-rated washer and dryer and an electric lawn mower.

Source: Jake Spano, City of St. Paul
Writer: Anna Pratt

Just over a month ago, the North End Urban Farm broke ground and started food production on a three-acre parcel in the St. Paul neighborhood from which  it takes its name.

SPARC, a community development corporation, previously proposed a townhome complex on the site, but the idea was scratched in the economic downturn, according to business development manager Allison Sharkey. 

A future housing development is still planned for the site, but part of the farm will probably stay intact. "By then we will have tried different pilot projects and different methods and seen what works best and we'll incorporate that," she says. 

To make the farm happen, SPARC worked out a partnership with a handful of other groups, including the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota, Community Table Cooperative, Pig's Eye Urban Farm, and Holistic Health Farms.

The University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs contributed $10,000 to establish the farm, which has a $15,000 budget. Also, the Triscuit company provided supplies for a vegetable and flower demonstration garden, according to Sharkey.

The farm makes a huge difference in a neighborhood where there's no grocery store or farmers' market. "Our goal is to increase access to fresh produce," she says. "We've asked each grower to sell in the neighborhood as much as they can," and the farm is certified to participate in the WIC program, she adds.

With half-acre plots, the professional growers have been able to launch or expand their businesses, she says. One business owner even started a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program.  

Already, the growers have begun connecting with area restaurants and corner stores about providing fresh food. 

Later in the season a farmers' market will happen on-site, while each grower will have a produce stand, she says. Also, a you-pick farm program, which gives visitors the chance to pick food themselves, is in the works.

 
Source: Allison Sharkey, business development program manager, SPARC
Writer: Anna Pratt

The Ordway Center for Performing Arts in St. Paul is over halfway to its fundraising goal of $35 million for a new concert hall and related endowment fund.

Plans are underway to expand its McKnight Theatre, which is separate from the 1,900-seat Music Theater.

Under the plan, the McKnight will go from a 315-seat proscenium arch-style theater to a 1,100-seat arena stage configuration, according to Patricia Mitchell, its president and CEO.

Audiences will wrap all around the platform in the new "purpose-built" concert hall, she explains.

The face-to-face views "change the way people listen to music," while the acoustics will have "great natural sound," she says.

A related endowment fund will help underwrite the use of the new McKnight by each of the Ordway arts partners, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, and Schubert Club, which share space at the Ordway.

As it is, the two stages are fully booked, she says. Last year, only 23 dates went unfilled, and those were Mondays, which are traditionally "dark" or off days. 

A larger concert hall will help ease scheduling headaches and allow for more specific programming with longer runs, she says. Some professional music groups that don't have a permanent home will "have a first-class venue available to them." 

It'll also accommodate more audiences, including greater numbers of schoolchildren. With another 125,000 people coming downtown every year, she adds, the place will be an economic boon for the city. "The impact on the restaurants and parking is huge," she says.

Although the theater design is still in progress, she's pleased with how it's shaping up.

The space will blend in with the nearby Rice Park, "one of the most beautiful urban squares anywhere," she says, adding, "It's important to maintain the character and feeling of that." 

Construction could start as early as next spring, depending on the project's financing coming together. 

"I think it's a wonderful solution to a longstanding problem," for the four arts partners, while it's also a "tremendous benefit to the community at large," she says.

Source: Patricia A. Mitchell, president and CEO, Ordway
Writer: Anna Pratt

HUGE Improv, an improvisational actors troupe that originated at the Brave New Workshop's comedy theater in 2005, has taken its company to the next level with a new permanent home in Minneapolis's Uptown area.

Until the group opened its doors in December 2010 at 30th and Lyndale Avenue South, it had to compete for time and attention at various venues throughout the week, according to Butch Roy, who leads HUGE Improv.  

After working to build up the weekly "Improv-a-go-go" program at the Brave New Workshop, showcasing various troupes, and an improv festival that's now in its fifth year, the group decided to go for a place of its own. "You can only grow so big before you have to risk it and make the big change," he says, adding, "There was a lot of enthusiasm for long-form improv and then came the decision to make the leap."  

Now, HUGE Improv is able to share its stage with many other performers, often hosting multiple shows daily.

But the nonprofit group, which is entirely volunteer-driven, is still fundraising for improvements to its all-black-painted theater, which, in traditional style, has just a slightly elevated stage and 100 seats on one level, according to Roy. Previously a retail space, the 4,000 square feet also includes a backstage area and a lobby, while the bar is still in progress (along with the accompanying beer and wine license), he says.

Altogether, the completed aspects of the build-out totaled $26,000, according to Roy. Earlier on, the group was quoted $67,000 for the work, but HUGE Improv was able to make up the difference with lots of donations and volunteer time, on everything from paint to drapes, he says.

The locally based Shelter Architecture even contributed design services, which was a big help. However, HUGE Improv still needs financial support to offset its construction costs, he says.  

Like many other businesses and organizations, HUGE Improv went through a rough period during the recession, where it incurred a lot of debt. Instead of getting bogged down by that, though, "We try to stay focused on the sense of play that makes it fun," he says, adding, "We want to be ourselves with the audience."  

Source: Butch Roy, president, HUGE Improv
Writer: Anna Pratt

Despite a challenging economy, St. Paul's Park Square Theatre has continued to flourish. 

As proof of that, the theater is currently fundraising for a $4.2 million project that involves renovations to its existing facility and the addition of a smaller, thrust-style stage in the historic Hamm building.   

Michael-Jon Pease, director of operations and external relations, says the theater has been growing steadily over the past decade. So far, the theater is about 75 percent of the way to its fundraising goal. Recently, it reported that $350,000 came in from the St. Paul Foundation, while the F. R. Bigelow Foundation gave another $200,000 and $50,000 came by way of individual gifts, according to a Broadway World story.
 
When the theater reaches its financial goal, it'll start construction on the new stage, which will be adjacent to the existing 350-seat proscenium-arch-type auditorium.  

Renovations in the existing space, which have already been completed, were geared around patron comfort and safety, he says. For example, the former seats were replaced with ones that provide better lumbar support. The stage also inched up a bit, and the lighting equipment was upgraded.

All in all, it'll be more energy efficient while also providing for more artistic flexibility. "It bumps up the whole experience several notches," Pease says.      

The 150-to-200-seat thrust will "feel like a younger, more contemporary social space," with people seated on three sides of the stage, not just one. It'll enable the theater to more effectively stage shows that are suited to that kind of intimate configuration, Pease says. "We'll be able to do more types of shows for more types of audiences."  

Further, Park Square will double its number of shows, and employ 60 percent more artists. As a result, it'll also grow its audience from 55,000 to 86,000 a year, in part with the help of other arts organizations it's working with to schedule late-night events in the space, such as cabarets, readings, and more.  

About $1 million raised through its Next Stage Campaign, as it's calling the fundraising effort, will provide a cushion when the new stage is up and running. Pease is optimistic that the fundraising component will be wrapped up by December 2011. At that point, the theater will announce its construction time line. "We want to be very purposeful to grow the organization, make it stronger, and redefine its value," he says.     


Source: Michael-Jon Pease, director of operations and external relations, Park Square Theater
Writer: Anna Pratt

Artspace Projects, Inc. is in the middle of putting together the funding for a $15 million development to go on a parcel near the Guthrie Theater, on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis.

The project, which has been dubbed ArtCube, includes 45 affordable live/work studios for artists; it's similar to another Artspace project in Northeast, called the Jac Flats (which The Line wrote about here), according to Heidi Kurtze, the group's property development director. 

The five-story building will have 8,000 square feet of commercial space, while 20,000 square feet will be devoted to an arts incubator for the larger community, though the details are still being fleshed out, Kurtze says.

A portion of the incubator, from which the development gets the "cube" part of its name, could be devoted to a gallery and offices, plus an artist residency program she says, citing some possible uses for the space.

To figure out the "best and highest use of space," the group will carry on a community engagement process over the next several months. "We're having a number of conversations with nearby arts organizations that are in need of more space," she says.

Also being explored is the idea of an urban farm to go on the building's rooftop--one that could have some kind of connection to the Mill City Farmers Market, Kurtze says.  

On April 5 the City Council's community development committee deemed the project one of 10 city development priorities for transit-oriented design funds this year from Hennepin County, according to city information. ArtCube, which applied for a $500,000 grant from the county, is well connected to a couple of nearby stops for the Hiawatha Light Rail line. 

In addition to the county funds, the group intends to apply for grants from the city and Metropolitan Council.

Depending on when the financing comes through, Artspace could start construction next year on the L-shaped development, which is adjacent to the future headquarters of the American Academy of Neurology.  

Source: Heidi Kurtze, director of property development for Artspace Projects Inc.
Writer: Anna Pratt 

The Northeast Community Development Corporation initiated a proposal for the Jac Flats condos some years ago, but it was shelved due to market troubles.

Now, it could come back in a new form.

Artspace Projects, Inc., a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer that's working with the community development corporation, has adapted the project for 35 affordable live/work apartments for artists, according to Artspace project manager Andrew Commers.   

The $9.3 million four-story apartment building will be constructed on the same lot, at Jackson Street Northeast and 18 ½ Avenue Northeast, and it retains many of the same ideas, including the artist focus.   

"All units will be for low-income artists and their families," Commers says, explaining that some units will be reserved for those making 30 to 60 percent of the area median income.    

The apartments will have high ceilings and big windows that allow for plenty of natural light, which he says is ideal for artists who'll work in the space.

Tenants will decide what to do with a 2,500-square-foot communal space, which could be used as a studio, gallery, or classroom. "It'll depend on their interests and energy," he says.     

The flats will also have underground parking, while a portion of greenspace on the property could become a sculpture park.

As a whole, the project will blend in with the neighborhood, in terms of height and contours, he says.

Several noteworthy project funders are Wells Fargo, LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation), a sponsor of The Line, and the Greater Metropolitan Housing Corporation (GMHC), he says.

Additionally, the city awarded $50,000 in federal low-income tax credits to the development. It's a small allocation but it demonstrates early support for the project, he says, and will give it a competitive edge in the next application process.   

Right now Artspace is pursuing affordable-housing subordinate funds from the city, county, and state,  he says.

If those applications line up, it'll position the project to be fully funded and may allow for construction to start in early 2012, he says. Then, following 18 months of construction, the Jac Flats could be ready for leasing in June 2013.


Source: Andrew Commers, Artspace, project manager  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Marty Schirber, a remodeling contractor who lives in Northeast Minneapolis, came up with the idea of turning the nearby Hollywood Theater into a haven for jewelers after talking with several artists who told him they were looking at collocating their studios to save money.

The Hollywood Theater, which opened for movie screenings in 1935, has been vacant since it closed its doors in 1987, according to city information.

After the city bought the building in 1993, it pursued several redevelopment proposals but none came to fruition, according to city information. The city's asking price for the property is $275,000.   

Schirber, who serves on the neighborhood group's Hollywood Theater Task Force, says that the theater auditorium could become studio space, while the balcony could accommodate jewelry-making classes. The lobby could be converted into an art deco-styled jewelry store, in keeping with the theater's history, he says.

He pictures a place that's similar to the Mississippi Craft Center, which serves the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi and accommodates numerous artists who work in different mediums. (He happened to be visiting the Center when The Line called him.) "This place is a destination," he says. "A lot of the artists have quit their regular jobs. They have enough traffic to go full-time here."    

Jewelers could split the costs of the pricey equipment and workbenches they use by sharing studio space at the Hollywood. "It could be a guild for jewelers and a conduit for people to find artists," he says.   

Schirber has  found that the concept "resonates soundly with artists and jewelers," adding, "It's just what they need."

He estimates that conversion will cost less than a million dollars, though he's still researching the idea, including checking into possible funding sources, and a business plan for the project is still in the works.


Source: Marty Schirber, Hollywood Theater Task Force    
Writer: Anna Pratt

When the TLS/KVA team of landscape architects and designers strolled a 5.5-mile stretch of the Mississippi River starting at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis and heading north, they climbed over fences to get a better view of the landscape. It almost got them arrested for trespassing. 

TLS/KVA is a partnership between the Berkeley-based Tom Leader Studio and Kennedy & Violich Architecture from Boston.

Sheila Kennedy, one of the team members leading the charge, says too much of the river is off the beaten track. "We felt the river edge is where people should be," adding, "It's so difficult to get there now."   

TLS/KVA, which has a partnership with nine local firms, was announced as the winner of the Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition on Feb. 10. The contest, jointly held by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Walker Art Center and University of Minnesota College of Design, solicited proposals from four finalist teams from across the globe.

TLS/KVA stood out for its proposal, titled RiverFIRST, which focuses on water, health, mobility and green economy.

The goals were to re-establish the parks as an economic engine for development and make the river�one of the three great rivers of the world�a connector, not a divider, and reorient the city around that focus, according to contest project manager Mary DeLaittre.    

Whether it's about rediscovering the Northside Wetlands or establishing floating "habitat islands" that happen to be formed from recycled water bottles, "RiverFIRST design initiatives function at multiple scales to link larger natural, social, civic, and economic ecologies and raise citizen awareness about the impacts of consumer choices on the Upper Mississippi River," a prepared statement reads.  

TLS/KVA will be awarded a riverfront parks commission, the details of which will be determined over the course of a four-month transitional phase.

 
Source: Sheila Kennedy, KVA, Mary DeLaittre, Mississippi Riverfront Design Competition  
Writer: Anna Pratt

Work is underway on building the Central Corridor light-rail transit line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. So how soon will construction start on the anticipated wave of transit-related development projects along the University Avenue route?

At the northwest corner of University and Hampden Avenue in St. Paul, the answer is: It's done. The Lyric at Carleton Place, a 170-unit apartment building, has seemed ahead of the curve, rising even as the lingering recession has kept other projects on the drawing boards.

The Lyric is a rental companion to the Carleton Artist Lofts, a renovated condominium building next door, both developed by Johnson Brothers Liquor Company, a major local distributor of wines and spirits. (Johnny's Lounge, a bar that formerly occupied the site, is commemorated inside the Lyric with a namesake gathering space.)

Yet the coming Central Corridor LRT line is not the main selling point for The Lyric, which is located between future stations at Raymond and Fairview avenues. Instead, The Lyric boasts artist-friendly amenities like a gallery, an amphitheater, and an outdoor movie-screening space.

The developer's effort to build a community at the Lyric extends beyond physical features. "The company has gone out of its way to incorporate social media" such as a Lyric-specific social-media site and an iTunes channel, says Christopher Lower of Sterling Cross Group, a public relations, marketing and web design firm working with property management company Dominium.

Lower says there's movement afoot to re-brand the Lyric's South St. Anthony neighborhood as "Mid-City" -- appropriate, considering the skyline view in either direction from the Lyric's rooftop deck.

Source: Christopher Lower, Sterling Cross Group
Writer: Chris Steller

"I've never really seen an empty building I didn't like," says local developer Andrew Volna. In the case of the vacant Hollywood Theater in northeast Minneapolis, the buliding held extra appeal: Volna had also seen it in use, as a kid growing up in the neighborhood.

In 2008 Volna hired architects at City Desk Studio to draw up plans for renovating the 1935 landmark, one of a handful of surviving Art Deco theaters by the legendary architecture firm Liebenberg and Kaplan. After shelving the plans as the recession took hold, Volna puts the chances he'll eventually pursue the project at 50-50.

The idea of reviving the Hollywood has long bedazzled and bedeviled city officials and neighborhood activists. The City of Minneapolis bought the building in 1993; efforts toward renovation have percolated ever since, but still the building sits empty on a popular stretch of Johnson Street.

While another Minneapolis theater bearing the Liebenberg and Kaplan stamp, the Varsity in Dinkytown, has made relatively seamless transitions from movie house to photo studio to (now) busy nightclub, that building has one advantage over the Hollywood: "It never had a seive for a roof," says Volna.

Volna envisions a re-use for the Hollywood along the lines of the classic RayVic gas station on East Hennepin Avenue, which he renovated as office space for the web development firm Clockwork.

Volna's other redevelopment efforts on Minneapolis' East Side include the buliding on little-known Winter Street NE that houses his successful digital media manufacturing business, Noiseland Industries.

Source: Andrew Volna, Apiary LLC
Writer: Chris Steller

As his family prepares to move to St. Paul's Lowertown, filmmaker Troy Parkinson is getting ready to create a series of video vignettes about the downtown St. Paul neighborhood they'll soon call home. Parkinson plans to show them to the world at his "Life in Lowertown" website.

"So much is happening in Lowertown these days," Parkinson says. "It's an exciting place to be." He's taking a cue, in part, from an old Sesame Street song ("Who are the people in your neighborhood?"), Parkinson says he intends to feature the artists, events, and day-to-day life of Lowertown that he has observed while working at the Co-Co co-working space located there.

At first though, Parkinson figures the "Life in Lowertown" videos will focus on his family's move to the Galtier Plaza tower--a location that is closer to the kids' school than was the house they've been renting in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood since coming to the Twin Cities from Fargo last year.

Parkinson sees his project as a bit like the recent documentary feature "No Impact Man," about a filmmaker's family in New York City trying to have zero environmental impact (his family will likewise downsize). It's complementary, in his view, to a TPT television documentary about Lowertown that is in the works.

And if "Life in Lowertown" sounds like a project for a guy with time on his hands in a slumping economy, Parkinson says in fact he regularly works for network cable productions like "Monster Quest" (among other ventures).

Source: Troy Parkinson, Parkinson Productions
Writer: Chris Steller