Like the dog Toto pulling aside the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Oz, Doors Open Minneapolis pulls aside the curtain to reveal what goes on behind the doors of landmarks and businesses in many parts of the city. The event, which took place the weekend of May 18 and 19, included stops in Northeast. We took a look at three of them.
Pillsbury A-Mill Lofts
Northeast Minneapolis community members converged on the A-Mill Artist Lofts in Minneapolis during the second day of Doors Open on Sunday, May 19. Rising above the banks of the Mississippi River, this historic site, once home to the world’s largest flour mill, is now home to “an affordable apartment haven exclusively designed for artists,” according to the A-Mill website.
Attendees were treated to a variety of different visual and audio styles to observe and/or purchase, with multiple floors hosting vendors. Sixty artist vendors showcased their talents, offering live demonstrations ranging from jewelry making to live tattooing. Additionally, vendors showcased ceramics, screen painting and various forms of photography. There were even refreshments and food trucks, some would consider equally important styles of art.
In addition to the art on display from various vendors, there was plenty the building itself had to offer, showcasing its past as a mill and the more recent (comparatively) transformation into an artist space.
Visitors were invited to explore the building’s history, visit the lower-level museum, and even a 700-foot historic tunnel that runs underneath Main Street. Conversely, multiple permanent art installations could be found throughout the building, such as Adam Turman’s “Night Owl,” and visitors could check the permanent artist studios, gallery, and the light curtain that welcomes visitors into the lobby.
Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church
The church marked its 110th anniversary this year, and made Doors Open Minneapolis part of the celebration.
The building housing the church at 1509 NE 27th Ave, is a modern design, built in 1937, to replace the original wooden structure built in 1914. It has soaring stained glass windows and a capacity of 300 in the nave. The church added an educational unit in 1954 and an accessible entrance in 1992.
A history of the church published on its 100th anniversary noted that while it tended to the spiritual needs of the congregation, the church was active in the civil rights movements of the 1960s and formed study groups on criminal justice, racism and sponsoring refugee families.
During Doors Open, visitors could take in the sanctuary, designed by Raymond Gauger in 1937, and the Gothic-style stained glass windows designed by Norwegian immigrant Andreas Larsen.
Church member Jennifer Parker said more than 80 people visited the church during the weekend event, adding that it was a first time with Doors Open Minneapolis, and the church would “definitely” do it again.
“This event is great! Community members get to be tourists in our communities, see spaces, and meet people that they may not otherwise get to know. It really does open doors for connection, partnerships and community building,” she said.
Kramarczuk’s Sausage Company
Kramarczuk’s, the deli and sausage company founded by Ukrainian refugees 70 years ago, remains a Northeast landmark on East Hennepin Avenue. This year was its third Doors Open Minneapolis (Saturday only) participation, and the usual weekend crowd was bolstered by first-time visitors who were treated to tours of the restaurant’s kitchen and bakery by Orest Kramarczuk.
In the kitchen, tour members ate sausage samples while Kramarczuk showed where 10,000 pounds of sausage are made each week, and where the cabbage rolls, pierogi, piroshok, pastrami and Rueben sandwiches come from.
In a separate room, Kramarczuk told guests the story of his parents Wasyl and Anna, who came from Ukraine through Louisiana in 1949 and started their sausage business in 1954, and setting up in the current store in 1967. He said preserving cultural traditions and providing support to new immigrants is crucial to highlighting the importance of their story, and that Kramarczuk’s is an employer and an incubator for refugees from Eastern Europe.
He didn’t leave out the James Beard American Classics award the restaurant received in 2013.
Asked if the restaurant will be back on the Doors Open tour next year, Kramzrczuk said, “Of course we will — we had more than 500 people on Saturday!”
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A light curtain in the lobby welcomes visitors to the Pillsbury A-Mill Lofts at 301 SE Main St. The flour mill-turned-art studios and apartments was one of the venues on the Doors Open tour. (Max Goldberg)
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A family shopped for pastries at Kramarczuk’s Sausage Company, 215 East Hennepin. Visitors got a behind-the-scenes look at the sausage-making process. (Mark Peterson)
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People who visited Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church during Doors Open saw photos and video clips highlighting the church’s first 110 years, as well as its sanctuary and stained glass windows. (Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church)