Artspace Projects, Inc. - Center for Community Innovation

Artspace Projects, Inc.

Our mission:

is to create, foster, and preserve 

affordable space 

for artists and arts organizations.

Artspace… 

• was founded in 1979 as an advocate for the 

space needs of artists in Minneapolis’ historic 

Warehouse District 

• is now the nation’s leading nonprofit developer 

for the arts 

• has completed 20 projects nationwide 

• has an annual operating budget of $10 million

Our philosophy: 

• We believe that artists play an important role in 

our society. 

• We view the arts as a valuable development 

tool for communities and neighborhoods. 

• We strive to create projects that are affordable 

and sustainable. 

• We believe we are at the vanguard of a 

movement that has the potential to transform 

America into a society that truly values its 

artists.

• We seek projects that: 

Our criteria 

• have strong community leadership (political, 

corporate, foundations, individuals) 

• are located in areas with vital artist 

communities 

• reclaim areas that present redevelopment 

challenges to a city 

• involve buildings or land with significant 

historical context

Artspace programs

Property 

development 

• 21 projects completed in 

13 states 

• Total development cost of 

more than $250 million 

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Asset 

managemen 

t 

• We own and operate what 

we build 

• Our projects have positive 

cash flow

National 

consulting 

• We have worked in more 

than 47 states 

• We work with cities, arts 

councils, and developers

Completed projects

Northern Warehouse Artists ’ Cooperative (1990) 

Saint Paul, Minnesota 

52 live/work units 

40,000 sq. ft. commercial space 

Great Northern Warehouse, 1908

Northern Warehouse Artists ’ Cooperative 

Café on street level

Tilsner Artists’ Cooperative (1993) 



Farwell, Ozmun, Kirk & Co. (hardware wholesale store), 1908

Growth Impact 

source: US Census Bureau 

Population growth 1990 2000 # change % change 

Lowertown 733 1,941 1,208 164.8% 

Downtown 

(excluding Lowertown) 

3297 3668 371 11.3% 

Saint Paul 272,235 287,151 14,916 5.5%

Guiterman Brothers, Inc. (clothing factory), 1917 

Frogtown Family Lofts (1992) 


36 live/work units

Frogtown Family Lofts 

Two-level gallery


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Duluth, MN

Washington Studios (1995) 

Duluth, Minnesota 


Community center operated by City of Duluth 

Washington High School, 1911

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Washington Studios 

Live/work unit in old gymnasium with running track balcony

Moline, Milburn & Stoddard Co., 1886 

Traffic Zone Center 

for Visual Art (1997) 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

24 studios for 

mid-career artists 

40,000 sq. ft. 

commercial space

Everett Station Lofts (acquired 1997) 

Portland, Oregon 





Hupmobile dealership, 1924 

Spinning Plate Artist Lofts (1998) 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 


5,000 sq. ft. gallery

Spinning Plate Artist Lofts 

Main floor gallery

Riverside Artist Lofts (2000) 

Reno, Nevada 



Riverside Hotel, 1926

E. S. Levy Building, 1875 

National Hotel Artist Lofts (2001) 

Galveston, Texas 


1,500 sq. ft. commercial space

Switching Station Artist Lofts (2003) 

Chicago, Illinois 


Telephone switching station, 1906

Elder Street Artist Lofts (2005) 

Houston, Texas 


Jefferson Davis Hospital, 1924

Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts (2004) 

Seattle, Washington 






Kaplan Building (hardware store), 1906

Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts 

Corner unit on third floor

Sterling Market Lofts (2004) 

Bridgeport, Connecticut 



Read’s Department Store, 1925

Mount Rainier Artist Lofts (2005) 

Mount Rainier, Maryland 


7,000 sq. ft. commercial space

Grain Belt Studios (acquired 2005) 



for artists and arts-related businesses 

Grain Belt Warehouse, 1910

Buffalo Artist Lofts 

Buffalo, New York 


11,000 sq. ft. commercial 

Original use: electric vehicle factory (1911)

Artspace Buffalo Lofts 

Buffalo, New York 


11,000 sq. ft. commercial

40 

Artspace Buffalo Lofts, April 2007 

New fourplexes under construction

New Landscaping, September

Where the money comes from 

SOURCE AMOUNT PCT. 

Public Sources 

Federal low income housing tax credits $ 6,592,060 41 % 

State low income housing tax credits $ 2,796,404 17 % 

Federal historic tax credits $ 1,678,775 10 % 

HOME funds ($900,000 from state, $400,000 from city) $ 1,300,000 8 % 

Community Development Block Grant (city) $ 300,000 2 % 

Federal allocation $ 250,000 2 % 

Private Sources 

Private sector (philanthropic gifts) $ 1,400,000 9 % 

First mortgage $ 1,200,000 7 % 

Deferred developer’s fee $ 670,944 4 % 

TOTAL $ 16,188,183 100 % 

Project: Artspace Buffalo Lofts

Fort Lauderdale, FL 

37 units 

100% leased 

Historic 

neighborhood where 

many artists were 

displaced

Sample 

Projects in 

Development 




Hiawatha Artist Lofts (2007) 

Seattle, Washington 

61 live/work units

P.S. 109 - New York City 

• 64 units of artist housing -first 

sustainable model of 

affordable housing for artists 

in NYC 

• 10,000 square feet of 

nonprofit arts and education 

space 

• Primarily home for Latino 

artists 

• Construction start 2009

Harvester Artist Lofts 

Council Bluffs, Iowa 


8,000 square feet of non-residential space

Harvester Artist Lofts 

Architect’s rendering

Patchogue Artspace Lofts 

40 units live/work space 

additional non-residential space on 

ground level 

1st Artspace project on Long Island 

3rd in the state of New York

Hennepin Center for the Arts 


8 dance studios, one theater and 17 

Hennepin Center for the Arts 

offices for performance based nonprofits 

(acquired 1997) 

2 restaurants 


Nine studios, 250-seat theater, 

offices of 17 arts organizations 




Masonic Temple, 1888

Minot, North Dakota

Minot, North Dakota

Minot, ND 

25 units of 

live/work space 

Mixed use with 

enclosed 

parking and 

ground floor 

commercial

Shubert Theatre 

1910 photo

•Shubert Theatre 

•In transit, February 1999 

•At 5.8 million pounds, it was the heaviest building ever moved on rubber tires.

Minnesota Shubert Performing Arts 

and Education Center 

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Tannery Arts Center 

Santa Cruz, California 


40,000 sq. ft. studio space




Tannery Arts Center 

Interior of historic building

Monterey, CA 

Fort Ord 

New community 

66 units of live/work 

60,000 square feet of 

galleries and artist studies 

Construction start: 2010 


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Fort Ord Barracks 


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Before and after

Artists and spaces

Artspace Projects, Inc.

Artspace Projects, Inc. - Center for Community Innovation

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