The renovation included the addition of an event and performance space on the north end of the building that features advanced audiovisual technology and soundscaping. Photos: Chris Emeott
The Manitou Fund Education + Arts Center seeks to connect the East Metro through creativity and educational programming.
After two years and a multimillion dollar renovation, the Manitou Fund Education + Arts Center is ready to start a new chapter with community programming and education.
The 11,000-square-foot space in downtown Stillwater features innovative learning and event spaces with state-of-the-art design, technology and soundscaping. Oliver Din, president and CEO of the Manitou Fund, says the intention is to foster local, interdisciplinary programming and bring the region together through arts, education, music and the environment.
The purchase of the building by the Manitou Fund was precipitated by dual needs from the community. The Zephyr Theatre, the building’s owner at the time, was in a pinch, and local charter school River Grove Elementary needed a temporary home. The building was redesigned to function as a teaching and community space, with classrooms and flex spaces, offices, an event and performance space, and a sprawling outdoor patio. Many of the interior spaces have been modified with skylights and interior glass walls to bring a bright, open feeling.
Flex spaces throughout the building feature skylights and glass walls.
The Steinway D Grand Piano of accomplished Dellwood pianist and educator Reid Smith will also have a home in the building. “It’s a piano that was used by the community, and now it’s going to be used by the community and for the community here,” Din says.
Manitou Fund Education + Arts Center is part of a broader play by the Manitou Fund, a White Bear Lake-based charitable foundation, to elevate arts in the region through action. The building works in tandem with the McNeely Music Center in White Bear Lake, and people can listen, observe and record in both spaces simultaneously. Area musicians of all ages will have the opportunity to take lessons and engage with state-of-the-art recording technology at McNeely; the Stillwater space will eventually be used for larger music performances by these students. “We’re just all one region. If we can stay close and strengthen all of this, I think we would all benefit,” Din says.
The Manitou Fund was created by Minnesota businessman and active civic leader Donald McNeely and his wife, Marjorie, in the 1960s to support humanities and the arts. When its endowment rose nearly $1 billion in 2019, the Manitou Fund became one of the largest charitable foundations in the state. It has put those resources to action. With the Manitou Fund Education + Arts Center, McNeely Music Center and the Wilder Forest property in May Township, the fund now has more than 55,000 square feet of charitable-use indoor spaces and 1,440 acres dedicated to nurturing the arts and environment.
A multimillion dollar renovation transformed the building, previously a train depot, into a modern space for education and the arts.
Din is enthusiastic about seeing these spaces meet their full potential and is looking ahead to even bigger projects to come in the East Metro. “I’m a firm believer that we’ve got to take some risks here, and we really have to push the envelope,” Din says. “If we want to create a level of change and connection … it’s about providing not just the space but the vision and the opportunity, to create projects, create experiences that hopefully create a level of community inspiration.”
While the center won’t be open to the public daily, the plan is for the space to be a privately held community resource for unique programming and events. “We can all collaborate, learn from each other and raise the bar,” Din says.
