Grand Opening at Center for Arts

NEW ULM - Are you an artist or creative type with a need for additional space? If your answer is yes, New Ulm has the perfect place for you. The historic Grand Hotel at 210 N. Minnesota St. hosted a grand opening Friday night to show off its renovation. Renamed as the Grand Center for Arts and Culture (GCAC), it will now serve as studio space for local artists.

Open house guests were given a guided tour of the various studio spaces created from old hotel rooms, along with a history lesson about the building which covered topics such its use as a hospital during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. The process of converting the GCAC into an arts center was nearly three years in the making and required substantial fundraising. A portion of the reconstruction was funded through historical grants. To receive grants, the building needed to meet certain criteria. As one tour guide put it, "You can't just replace every window."

Building architect Andy Engan was present during the open house and explained that fixing the floors was a huge challenge. According to Engan, both the second and third-floor boards were beginning to sag. Engan compared the floor to walking on a diving board. While floor repairs were necessary to qualify for historic grants, the replacement floor needed to resemble the original. In addition, all door frames to the studio are originals, including the transoms. In fact, to preserve the historic look of the building, the building features a couple of doors that go nowhere. Those doors and door frames simply serve as a reminder of the building's past.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt been converted

Anne Makepeace, instrumental in the renovation and a descendant of the man who built the hotel, tours the basement, which she hopes will some day house a ceramics studio.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt

Many of the old hotel rooms at the Grand Center for Arts and Culture have been converted into studio spaces for local artists.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt

Local artist Jenny Fitzen makes herself at home in one of the The Grand studio spaces.

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt

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Grand Opening at Center for Arts