Northrup King Building Stormwater Street - Aerial

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Artspace NKB Lofts

Transforming a historic campus to advance art, community, and ecological renewal

The Northrup King Building (NKB) is a historic campus located in Northeast Minneapolis. Originally a seed processing center, today the existing 14-acre campus — which consists of eleven buildings, silos, and corridors — is a cornerstone of the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.

Collaborating with nonprofit developer Artspace Projects, Inc., Cuningham helped transform unused portions of the campus into affordable housing while preserving existing studios for the artists already living and working there.

The redevelopment creates 84 affordable live/work units for artists and their families, with one-, two-, and three-bedroom options serving households earning 30–80% of Area Median Income (AMI). Additionally, new galleries, shared amenities, and 8,120 square feet of commercial space for creative enterprises support the campus’ established arts community.

Given its prominent status within the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, the project enhances the surrounding community with new amenities, a public promenade, gathering spaces, and a variety of regenerative landscape strategies that restore the site’s ecological impact on the surrounding area — preserving NKB's vibrant arts legacy and positioning the campus for growth and success for years to come.

Client Artspace Projects, Inc.
Market Cultural, Residential, Mixed-Use
Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Master Planning
Scope Renovation, Adaptive Reuse
Size 727,800 Square Feet
Delivery Method Negotiated Contract

Northrup King Building - Before Picture — First built in 1917, Northrup King Building was originally a seed processing center that distributed millions of seeds annually via railway across the United States. In 2019, Artspace acquired the 13-acre property with the goal of repurposing the site's vacant buildings while also preserving existing artists' studios

NKB Lofts Before Image — Cuningham helped secure the Northrup King Building’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places, using a 3D campus scan and model to document existing conditions and proposed redevelopment. The designation helped Artspace secure federal historic tax credits, a critical funding source for the project.

A Project Vision Rooted in Place

The reimagined Northrup King campus honors its industrial history while supporting its evolution as a place for art, community, and ecological renewal. Once organized around seed production and distribution, the site now centers on the movement of people, art, and water. Simple, purposeful interventions preserve the character of the buildings and neighborhood, creating opportunities for public engagement and artistic experimentation while respecting artists’ need for privacy.

Northrup King Building exposed machinery — Retained chutes, machinery, and historic signs become distinctive landmarks, connecting residents to the building’s former life and providing unique wayfinding.

Stormwater management as design opportunity

With 31 inches of annual rainfall and nearly 85% impervious surface coverage, the Northrup King campus faced recurring flooding. Cuningham made stormwater management central to the redevelopment, turning an environmental challenge into an opportunity to connect the campus, restore habitat, and invite people to experience water through art and play.

Cuningham identified and helped secure a $750,000 grant from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization to extend these improvements beyond city requirements. The resulting “Stormwater Street” combines pedestrian circulation with visible water management, linking buildings, landscapes, and gathering spaces. Together, these strategies are designed to reduce runoff reaching the Mississippi River by 56% and create opportunities for ecological education throughout the campus.

Northrup King Stormwater management — The Stormwater Street gathers and filters runoff from nearby roofs and paved surfaces, directing it through raised planters, sunken trenches, and runnels. Overall, these systems remove nearly 80% of phosphorus and 92% of total suspended solids from runoff, keeping approximately five pounds of phosphorus and 1.3 tons of sediment out of the Mississippi River annually.

Stormwater street - repurposed grain bin — At the end of the Stormwater Street, a repurposed grain bin captures runoff and recirculates water through a new playground. Interactive features invite visitors to touch, redirect, and play with water, making its movement a visible part of the campus experience.

Northrup king building exterior courtyard