NE Minneapolis Arts District? (Ely, Walker: for sale, apartment complex, condo)

[trovata]

Does anyone have information regarding the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District? Is this area safe? I am currently looking at an apartment complex in this area. I know that North Minneapolis is not a safe place to live - is the NE Minneapolis Arts District considered a part of North Minneapolis, or is it completely separate?

Thanks in advance!

[Cruz Azul Guy]

NE and N Minneapolis are two COMPLETELY different areas, seperated by the Mississippi River. Here is some quick crime data comparing precinct 2 (Northeast Minneapolis) and precinct 4 (North Minneapolis) for 2006 January-October.
-------------- N --- NE
Murder ------ 27 --- 2
Rape ------- 131 --- 60
Robbery ---- 743 --- 337
Ag. Assault - 956 --- 288
Burglary --- 1520 --- 298
Vandalism -- 1654 -- 676
Prostitution --- 84 --- 14

Moving into an area with alot of vacant houses is probably a bad idea as that leads to higher crime. According to the community report at robertpstewart.com, the zipcode where the NE art district is located at (55418) has a vacant property rate of 5% while North Minneapolis area code 55411's rate is 8%. That is 60% higher which I feel is pretty significant.

[yellowsnow]

It's a bit of a stretch talking about a NE MPLS Arts District. Maybe it's a future plan? I hope you come see this place/area before you move here. I hope you weren't told things that aren't quite true. I work in NE. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods where I would be quite happy. All in all, it's a very nice area.

[golfgal]

I am not familiar with the various neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Is the Art District anywhere near the Minneapolis Institute of Art? If so, I wouldn't live in that area.

[ArmyMom]

I will try to answer this is accurately as I can.

I am a landlord/owner of a duplex in NE. We live on a lovely tree lined street with a diverse group of owners/renters. We have college students, retirees, married couples with and without children. We bought our home 4 years ago and have seen the neighborhood decline in the past 6 months. Our cars have been vandalized twice, our house has been egged, and the for sale signs are going up faster than I can count.

The NE arts district is a current "project" designed by the city to attract new home buyers and renters. They have just built a massive loft/condo residence. The actual "arts" part is a few galleries and about a half dozen beat up and run down bars along the corridor of Broadway to Lowry and University to Central.

If I seem ambivalent about NE it's because I'm torn. NE use to be a lovely, homey community that was safe and affordable, but it's becoming more like North Mpls every month.

[Jim Stokes]

Ambivalent would be a good way to characterized NE Mpls. I have a good friend who lives there. It was once the home base for Polish and Czeck folks who worked at nearby Grain Belt brewery, which has since become emasculated as some not so great artsy endeavor. There are some art-types of folks. And God Bless Them for their efforts. But I have yet to see any really serious art come out of that neck of the woods.

Thus I would characterize those environs espousing to do art work as "artisans." Huge diffrerence btwn folks who would rather do art than eat and those who just fiddle around with it. Nothing wrong with either group!

Back to the Polish/Czeck/Serbo-Croatian folks who were the backbone of NE Mpls many years ago. There were several foundrys around there as well as the massive Grain Belt Beer-making complex, which stretches for several blocks. So you have foundry folks and other related heavy duty industries. It's fun to roam the area. There are some 10 to 12 ethnic churches, most of which are still Roman Catholic and Russian or Greek Orthodox. Some still have masses in their native language. The oldest houses are of the two to three-story old frame variety. Dingy-looking. But there IS a spirit still amongst those folks.

There is a bit of a neighborhood center just off the old convent and in the vacinity of McDonalds. It has the Modern Cafe, which has the worst acoustics in the world but great food. You will go deaf if you stay there long enough. The old movie theater aspires to do live theater, off and on. There's an artisan like shop at a corner. There used to be a very small neighborhood library next to a barber shop. A huge clinic is across the street from this shopping area.

Then there's Mayslacks Bar and another bar axcross the street where you can observe fish in a huge tank, shoot pool, watch TV and otherwise bore yourself to death.

I'm glad I'm a workaholic! Cheaper than being an alcoholic.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by ArmyMom

I will try to answer this is accurately as I can.

I am a landlord/owner of a duplex in NE. We live on a lovely tree lined street with a diverse group of owners/renters. We have college students, retirees, married couples with and without children. We bought our home 4 years ago and have seen the neighborhood decline in the past 6 months. Our cars have been vandalized twice, our house has been egged, and the for sale signs are going up faster than I can count.

The NE arts district is a current "project" designed by the city to attract new home buyers and renters. They have just built a massive loft/condo residence. The actual "arts" part is a few galleries and about a half dozen beat up and run down bars along the corridor of Broadway to Lowry and University to Central.

If I seem ambivalent about NE it's because I'm torn. NE use to be a lovely, homey community that was safe and affordable, but it's becoming more like North Mpls every month.

Can you be more specific re: the general location of your duplex in NE mpls? It would be helpful to know which s*****/areas are in decline in NE.

Where is the massive loft/condo residence that is being built? What streets?

[Pickle Spears]

I lived in NE for 10 years and LOVED it! (near University and Broadway) LOTS to do! Bars, restaraunts, galleries, the river.
Steer clear of Lowry Ave and you should be just fine!

[tubes]

Wow. Army Mom needs to do her research before she comments on what the arts scene in Northeast Minneapolis is like. If she thinks it a couple run down bars and galleries, she needs to look around and get informed. The arts district is a vibrant area with over 400 artists working in renovated studio buildings, galleries and shops that bring in visitors by the thousands each year. No, it's not fancy like the Walker and it shouldn't have to be. For more info on it, there is a great website.

http://www.northeastminneapolisartsdistrict.com

Sean