As he talked about his organization’s new headquarters in St. Paul, Kevin Robinson said the kids whom his 30,000 Feet organization supports are already enjoying its benefits.
“You feel more visible,” he said about the nonprofit that supports Black students through free arts and technology education programs.
As you drive south on Arcade Street from Phalen Park in St. Paul, past the funeral home and the repair shop on your right and a gas station on your left, you’ll see the glass facade on the new 30,000 Feet building on the site of an old bank.
The group’s new Black Arts and Tech Center opened in October and features more than 13,500 square feet to support its mission to empower “African American students in Saint Paul through culture, art, technology, and social justice.”
About a year ago, I called Robinson to discuss his vision. The new, multimillion-dollar building on Arcade Street, he said then, would give his program a permanent home for its next chapter. Now that it’s here, he said those ambitious plans will move forward.
“Our vision is to be a repository for information but also a staple in the community,” he said. “When people come to Minnesota, this is a space they will want to come check out when it comes to youth development or working with young people who might be living on the margins.”
But the building on the East Side of St. Paul is more than a sparkling edifice in the city’s most blue-collar section. It’s also proof of what can happen when people in the Twin Cities and beyond decide to back a dream.
The land was obtained through a partnership between Land Bank Twin Cities, which markets itself as a funding arm that “captures strategic real estate opportunities to benefit people with low to moderate incomes, prioritizing BIPOC+ and populations facing barriers,” and LISC Twin Cities. According to its website, LISC supports projects to revitalize communities and give residents more economic opportunities.
