Overview

The Handicraft Guild was a center for one of the oldest Arts and Crafts organizations in the country. 

• Location: 89-91 10th Street South 
• Neighborhood: Downtown West

Historic photo (1912)

Current photo (2006)

Architecture

• Architectural Style: Arts & Crafts and Georgian Revival
• Architect: William Channing Whitney

Use

• Historic use: Commercial
• Current use: Commercial

Construction

• Construction date: 1907
• Contractor: H.N. Leighton Company

Significance

• Area(s) of significance: Architecture; Art; Education; Social History
• Period of significance: 1907-1918
• Date of local designation: 1998
• Date of National Register designation: N/A
• Designation: Exterior

Historic profile

The Handicraft Guild was a center for one of the oldest Arts and Crafts organizations in the country. It was founded in 1904 by members of the Minneapolis Arts and Crafts Society. 

The Arts and Crafts movement promoted handmade goods and rejected machine production in the early 1900s. Members explored art education, creation, and sales. Most were female artists, educators, and business owners. Their work included pottery, furniture, jewelry, and weavings. 

Notable local architect William Channing Whitney designed the building in 1907. Its exterior combines the Georgian Revival style with Arts and Crafts simplicity. The brick building is three stories tall. The primary entrance has a semicircle fanlight and concrete lintel above. The lintel is carved with "Handicraft Building." Two large sets of display windows are on either side. The west half of the building is setback. It was built in 1914 and doubled the building's size. The entrance to this part has a lintel above that is carved with "Handicraft Guild." 

Inside, there was an assembly hall, workshops, offices, sales floor, and tea room. Several windows on each floor provide natural light for the work spaces. The Guild's popularity grew and they established a school. It was the first arts training school in the state.  

After World War I, interest declined. The Guild dissolved in Minneapolis in 1918. Its art school merged into the University of Minnesota. Since then, several artists and small businesses have used the building. 

Photo credit

• 1912 photo: Courtesy of Minneapolis Public Libraries 
• 2006 photo: Minneapolis Department of Community Planning and Economic Development

Work cited

• Carole Zellie, "City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission Registration Form: Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis Guild House," March 1995
• Susan Granger and Kay Grossman, “Draft National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Handicraft Guild Building,” September 1996