825 ARTS

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Location: St. Paul, Minnesota

Awards: AIA MN Honor Award, 2024

A community engaged design process transformed a long-abandoned historic theater to support the cultural life of a diverse, dynamic neighborhood. The renewed Victoria Theater building in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods supports and makes visible a vibrant arts community. 825 ARTS is a dynamic arts space that activates the street and supports the neighborhood both socially and economically. The new facility provides a variety of flexible multi-functional gathering spaces, is environmentally and economically sustainable, and respects the building’s historic elements and the rich palimpsests of past occupations.

The new 825 ARTS building includes flexible high quality performance spaces for music, dance, spoken word, theater, film, artist display, teaching spaces, and community gathering places. A new stage and back of house provide support for the reconfigurable 120 seat theater, allowing it to support the needs of a broad range of local and visiting performers. A large accessible community room and second level mezzanine, with a grand circulation stair, increases the theatrical feel of the project, introducing a playful effect that encourages movement and community use.