Construction on the long-awaited development of the Northrup King Building campus at 1500 Jackson St. NE is imminent. Stacy Malbon, director of operations and programming for Artspace at Northrup King, informed tenants that work should begin by the end of August, but it hasn’t as of this writing.
Originally slated to start in 2022, the project has been in a holding pattern. But with financial closing officially happening, Artspace is readying the site for the installation of a large construction skip at “Building 2,” the six-story building with the water tower on top.
Funding for the residential project comes from the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Hennepin County, Intermedia Arts, Metropolitan Council, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, National Endowment for the Arts and U.S. Bank.
Building 2 is one of three buildings that will be developed into residential space. The goal is to create 84 live-work units, including studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments. With affordability as a key commitment, the residential units will be affordable at 30 to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI) and available to income-qualifying artists from all cultural backgrounds. Other buildings will include additional arts, community and nonprofit space. Because of the Northrup King Building’s status on the National Register of Historic Places, all development will be focused on restoring and preserving the industrial character and appropriate artistry of the site.
Another core commitment for the project is the preservation of the existing studio buildings, home to more than 350 working artists, businesses, and galleries. When Artspace acquired the building from Shamrock Properties in 2019, the preservation of the studios as artist space was central to the agreement, owing to the historic and cultural significance of the building.
Funding for the commercial and residential spaces are separate by design. The project includes extensive redevelopment and rehabilitation of the 13 acres of land the buildings occupy, including watershed management, native plantings, improved green space and biking and walking connection to the surrounding area.
Concurrently, the City of Minneapolis will undertake a Logan Park industrial streets project to repair many of the neighboring streets around the property, which are notoriously potholed.