REDEVELOPMENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Despite many buildings being in poor condition and vacant since the 1970s, the project team successfully reused original walls, doors, windows, entryways, and staircases. The Upper Post Flats now feature 192 units, ranging from studios to four-bedroom apartments, alongside a clubhouse, gymnasium, swimming pool, and substantial infrastructure improvements including new roads, sidewalks, and garage parking. The project salvaged and reclaimed 26 buildings from the 42-acre site, transforming barracks, an administration building, a gymnasium, a morgue, and a hospital into a vibrant residential community.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

The new clubhouse, once a guardhouse, blends historical elements like painted brick walls and a tin ceiling with modern features such as glass garage doors, creating a unique and inviting space. This redevelopment was made possible through a public-private partnership involving the site’s owner, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, Hennepin County, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the Minnesota Historical Society. The Upper Post is now home to affordable housing with a preference for veterans, honoring the site’s military legacy while addressing contemporary housing needs.

Thank you again to John Herman (Minnesota Department of Natural Resource consultant), Chuck Liddy (retired from Miller Dunwiddie Architects), John Stark (BKV Group), and Larry Peterson (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) for sharing this incredible story with us. Their dedication and the collaborative efforts of numerous organizations have transformed Fort Snelling Upper Post into a model of historical preservation and community revitalization.