825 arts
Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
825 Arts is a dynamic arts space that activates the street and supports the Frogtown-Rondo neighborhoods. A community-led process reclaimed and transformed the long-abandoned historic Victoria Theater to support the neighborhood’s cultural life and make visible Saint Paul’s vibrant arts community along a major urban street corridor. The renovated facility provides a variety of flexible multi-functional art spaces, is environmentally and economically sustainable, and values the building’s historic elements and its rich palimpsests of past occupations.
The new 825 Arts building includes high-quality performance spaces for music, dance, spoken word, theater, film, artist display, teaching spaces, and community gathering. A new stage and back of house provides support for the reconfigurable 120-seat black box theater, allowing it to support the needs of a broad range of local and visiting performers. A large accessible community room overlooking the street and a second-level mezzanine with its grand circulation stair acts as a balcony to the main social space and to the street. This street-front assembly of social spaces adds to the theatrical feel of the project, creating a sense of play which encourages movement and community use.
Awards: AIA MN Honor Award, 2024