A two-mile swath of Hennepin Avenue that runs through downtown Minneapolis is becoming a cultural district.
On Friday, the City Council approved a
plan that lays out a vision for the cultural district, with specific goals for the next decade. The planning document came together through a yearlong process called Plan-It Hennepin, which was a collaboration of the
Hennepin Theatre Trust, which owns four area theaters, the
Walker Art Center, the artist-minded developer,
Artspace, and the city.
Plan-It Hennepin drew over 1,500 people to its workshops and meetings, according to project information.
An “Our Town” creative placemaking grant in 2011 from the
National Endowment for the Arts helped make it happen.
Tom Hoch, the president and CEO of the Hennepin Theatre Trust, says it was a robust process. “We’re really trying to think of Hennepin for the next generation,” a younger, more diverse group coming up, he says.
The partners will form a Cultural District Alliance to carry out the multilayered plan, which aims to make the avenue green, creative, safe, and pedestrian-friendly. This will contribute to the
Minneapolis Downtown Council’s 2025 Plan, as well.
Basically, the plan centers on how “Arts and culture are playing a role in the connective tissue up and down the avenue,” he says.
For example, walking from the Walker Art Center to the Mississippi River, “You could have a series of wonderful experiences,” he says.
The alliance hopes to expand on that with greater coordination and consistent branding. “We want to have people come to the cultural district, love it and not want to leave,” Hoch says.
Part of the plan is already underway. A storefront project called “Made Here,” is in the works in the former Witt Mitchell building at 7th and Hennepin. It features work from local artists who design furniture. “The idea is to use storefronts that may be in transition and to showcase Minnesota artists,” he says.
Already he's found that many people have "an affinity for the street," he says, adding, “We have a lot of positive momentum behind what we’re doing here."
Source: Tom Hoch, CEO and president, Hennepin Theatre Trust
Writer: Anna Pratt