Minnesota Humanities Center explores a renovation

The nonprofit owner of an architectural and historic gem nestled within St. Paul's Phalen Park is seeking $1.6 million in state funding to keep it functioning as a resource for understanding among Minnesota's diverse cultures.

The Minnesota Humanities Center hosts nearly 10,000 visitors per year in a retreat-style conference center that was once part of the original Gillette Children's Hospital campus on the city's East Side.

The 89-year-old, Spanish Colonial-style historic landmark has housed the offices and event center for the organization — which serves as the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities — since 1996, when the long-vacant structure underwent its initial renovations under the guidance of St. Paul-based Finn Daniels Architects.

Those highly praised efforts succeeded in preserving cast-plaster figurines of American Indians and British Revolutionary War soldiers, and clay-tiled floors bordered with green marble. They also saved terra cotta wainscoting that depicts historical events such as the arrival of the Mayflower.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the building is again in need of significant preservation. Minnesota Humanities Center President David O'Fallon said this week his group has launched a campaign to land $1.6 million in state funding to keep what he called "a statewide asset" viable.

"The humanities stand for a dimension of the human experience that poses the question, 'How do we get along with each other?' " he said. "What can we learn from other cultures, be they Native American, Hmong, Somali, Latino or African-American? This is a key challenge that the state is facing now as we decide what kind of future we want."

In pitching the funding request, O'Fallon says his group is tapping the humanities to perform a much-needed, statewide service in promoting understanding of Minnesota's diverse cultures.

The organization drew $6.4 million in private contributions and $4.3 million in government grants in fiscal 2013, devoting 90 percent of its budget to operating its programs as well as the Phalen Park event center, which offers overnight accommodations and conference rooms in a setting that feels resort-like despite being less than five miles from the State Capitol.

The 21,000-square-foot, T-shaped building was designed in 1925 by Clarence H. Johnston, the same architect responsible for the Minnesota State Fair grandstand and the University of Minnesota's Northrop Auditorium, Folwell Hall and Williams Arena. It is the only remnant of the original 10-building Gillette campus. The hospital moved to downtown St. Paul in the late 1970s, and all the other buildings were razed.

It served as Gillette's education and entertainment center for the afflicted children, including a library and what was once its Michael Dowling Memorial Hall, which has since been transformed into the event center's main meeting room.

Now its functionality is being threatened by significant moisture infiltration and air quality problems, O'Fallon said. Its roof and walls leak water, leading to the growth of mold. And its dated heating and air conditioning system is inefficient, loud, and lacks modern controls. These issues, he says, are threatening the building's competitiveness as an event center.

Exterior issues also need to be addressed to maintain its historic integrity. The cast stone wall caps on the roofline parapet are disintegrating and need to be carefully removed and cleaned. The center's distinctive stucco walls are also deteriorating in numerous spots and need to be repaired.

Don Jacobson is a freelance writer in St. Paul and former editor of the Minnesota Real Estate Journal.