Kickernick Building once again an artist hub in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District

The core of the Warehouse District, roughly 13 blocks linking the North Loop to downtown’s central business district, declined as commercial and industrial activity shifted to the suburbs in the mid-1900s. In her book “Gallery Days,” Judith Stern, whose former gallery got its start in the Kickernick, suggested the area’s artist-led renaissance began around 1977 with the opening of mainstays like the New French Café and the Hanson-Cowles Gallery.

In the decade that followed, artists flocked to the Warehouse District, drawn to its architectural charm and tight-knit community.

“It was a beautiful, rich experiment that originated from the hearts and minds of local independent individuals with far more ambition and dreams than money,” Stern wrote. “In the end, it may have been a victim of its own success.”

Bart said much of the galleries’ business was fueled by corporate art curators, who would outfit regional businesses with works from local artists. That became less common as the years passed, and the final blow came when Target Center and Interstate 394 opened in the early 1990s. Rents jumped; galleries became sports bars, and artists moved elsewhere.

The pandemic tore a hole in commercial real estate markets, especially in downtowns, as workers went remote and offices downsized or closed. That left the Warehouse District poised, perhaps, for another new era.

Space Unlimited’s discount on the Kickernick made it possible to keep rents lower than what it offers in northeast Minneapolis — under $1,000 a month for some spaces. Though Oman didn’t have much past experience working with artists, she became their passionate advocate, pledging to keep rates at the Kickernick affordable.