While Artspace is well known for developing affordable live/work space for artists to lease, this unique project provided artists a path to home ownership. Artspace worked in partnership with the City of Saint Paul to respond to the efforts of neighborhood activists who were invested in preserving a boarded-up, historic storefront scheduled for demolition. Area historic preservationists also advocated for a nearby vacant, Victorian home that they deemed significant. Artspace moved the Victorian home next to the storefront, beautifully renovated both to include live/work artist amenities, and built two brand new homes on the adjoining street. The resulting Artspace Frogtown Single-Family Homes were completed in 1996 and created a hub of four homes adjacent to the onion-domed Church of Saint Agnes, building equity for artists while simultaneously stabilizing and revitalizing a neighborhood corner that had been facing challenges.
Several of the artist families have been there for more than 20 years, including internationally known papermaker Mary Hark and her professional Cordwainer daughter, Amara Hark Weber; as well as award-winning powerhouse artist couple Seitu Jones and Soyini Guyton. Among many other accomplishments, these two founded the 13-acre local Frogtown Farm in 2013, which is a beloved public park and urban demonstration farm.
