Celebrating 25 Years of the FAIR School for Arts: A Lasting Vision for Learning

FAIR School
Awards

The FAIR School for Arts has received AIA Minnesota’s 25 Year Award. This honor recognizes architectural projects that continue to inspire and serve communities decades after their completion. For Cuningham, this recognition is both a celebration of history and a reminder of what drives our educational work today: spaces that inspire curiosity, foster collaboration, and support diverse learning needs.

A Bold Experiment in Education and Urban Design

Opened in 1999 as the Interdistrict Downtown School, the FAIR School for Arts represents a groundbreaking model in public education and urban design. Conceived as a collaborative, interdisciplinary learning environment rooted in the arts, the K–12 magnet school was the first of three desegregation efforts launched by the West Metro Education Program—a partnership among Minneapolis Public Schools and eight suburban districts funded by the State of Minnesota.

Perched atop a city-owned parking structure in the heart of Minneapolis, the school intentionally blurs the boundary between classroom and city. Partnerships with nearby institutions such as Orchestra Hall, the Downtown Library, and the Orpheum Theatre allow students to extend learning far beyond traditional walls. Transparent circulation spaces, flexible learning neighborhoods, and a welcoming “town square” gathering space reinforce the school’s role as both civic landmark and dynamic learning environment. 

FAIR School
Clad in red brick, zinc panels, and ochre precast concrete, the school’s glass-enclosed, cantilevered stairwell animates its Hennepin Avenue façade. 
FAIR School
Open-plan “educational houses,” a flexible town-square gathering space, and robust structural expression reflect the school’s commitment to experiential learning, social equity, and community connection.

For the original clients—WMEP and Minneapolis Public Schools—the school was a bold and untested experiment. But 25 years later, the impact is clear. The building has nurtured generations of creative, diverse learners, many of whom have gone on to lead in the arts, education, and civic life. It remains a living model of experiential, equitable education, and a shining example of how design can respond to urgent social needs while also enduring as a platform for discovery and creativity.

“The design team added something delightful and memorable to this entry to downtown Minneapolis, skillfully scaling and breaking up the massing of the building so that it steps up as the urban fabric transitions from lower density to the downtown core.

Juror

AIA Minnesota 25 Year Award