PORTFOLIO HU Xin Digital Skills Workshop, 2014 Summer
Traffic Zone Arts Center BUILT: 1886 DEVELOPMENT COST: $4.3 million TOTAL AREA: 100,421 sq.ft. WORKING STUDIOS: 23 ARCHITECT: LHB Engineers & Architects ACTIVITIES: Spring, fall open studio events(1200 visitors)
Traffic Zone Arts Center Historic Warehouse District Broader Minneapolis Target Field Mississippi River
Project Description
Site model with old rail
The Traffic Zone Arts Center is located within a former warehouse in the North Loop district of Minneapolis. Listed in the national register of historic places, this building was constructed in 1886. It was initially programmed as a farm implement warehouse, but only two years later was repurposed as a bakery. Its program changed once again when it was converted to an appliance warehouse. This historic structure's most recent renovation was completed in 1995, when it officially became the home of the newly incorporated Traffic Zone artists’ collective. The Traffic Zone artists had been working together in the North Loop district for some time, but rising realty costs in the area had pushed them from one warehouse to the next. When they were forced from their most recent studio space, they decided to contact Artspace. Working with Artspace these artists found a solution; they would co-own a renovated warehouse that generated profit through leasing office and retail spaces. This economic model would allow the 24 artists' studios to be spacious yet affordable in an area with rapidly rising realty costs. Almost twenty years later, the Traffic Zone artists' collective is just as strong as it was when they first moved in.
Time Line
Boom
Decline
Rehabilitation
Gentrification
Minneapolis’ Warehouse District had long been a hub of commerce; serving as the seat of both the sawmilling and grain industries. However, with the introduction of the rail system, business began to boom. New warehouses to store agricultural implements reshaped the economy of the area, and fostered the development of many subsidiary businesses in the region.
Over time, the rate that railroads charged for shipping freight began to steadily increase. These rate changes, coupled with general economic conditions, devastated the warehousing industry. It's been noted that "In 1900 there were 25 machinery companies headquartered in the district, by 1930 only five remained..."
For many years the Warehouse District decayed. Then in the early 70's, the region took a turn for the better. Aspiring artists were attracted to the weathered old buildings by their vast spaces and inexpensive rent. As artists flocked to the district, what was once a dead space near Minneapolis' downtown once again resembled a living community.
As often happens when culture comes to a region, money soon followed. Developers who had long considered the area an industrial wasteland now understood it to be an economic opportunity. New construction began to spring up; swallowing many of the beautiful old ruins still left standing. In the midst of this redevelopment, the City of Minneapolis' Heritage Preservation Commission declared certain structures within the region to qualify for historic preservation. The Traffic Zone Arts Center was one of those designated.
1880-1910
1910-1930
1970-1995
1995-Present
Concept
Circulation 6F Private Office
OFFICES
5F Private Office
6F
4F Art Space Office
ART SPACE
3F Individual Studios 4F
STUDIOS
2F Individual Studios
1F Retail/Gallery
GAL
LER
3F
Y
RET AIL
B1F Basement Direct Financial Support Indirect Financial Support Art Products Horizontal Circulation Studios & Gallery Elevator Stair Main Entrance
1F
6F Private Office
5F Private Office
4F Art Space Office
3F Individual Studios
2F Individual Studios
1F Retail/Gallery
B1F Basement
Structure & Materials
New Celling & Old Celling
Exposed Wooden Beams
Later Addition (Steel)
Limestone & Brick Limestone Enclosure
Brick Enclosure
Hardwood Floors
Work Credited
Group Members: Justin Fleck, Dustin Schipper, Susie Kang, HU Xin 1.Site Diagram : Justin 2.History : Dustin 3.Render Image : Susie , Dustin 4.Rhino Model: Justin, Dustin, Susie, Xin 5.Time Line Collage : Dustin, Xin 6.Concept : Justin, Dustin, Susie, Xin 7.Structural & Materials : Susie, Justin, Xin 8.Perspective Section : Xin 9.Section , Elevations : Susie , Dustin