Converted historic site to house Ripley Gardens homes
March 2006
Habitat Herald, Twin Cities Habitat for Community publication
By Eric Wise
The look of the place is pure turn-of-the-century Midwest Americana: an institutional brick box with Victorian embellishments.
Even though it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building stood vacant for years, but in 2001, the former Ripley Maternity Hospital in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis was purchased by the Central Community Housing Trust (CCHT) to become the centerpiece of a mixed-income housing project, Ripley Gardens. Twin Cities Habitat has been chosen as the development’s building partner.
The 1.9-acre site, located at thecorner of Glenwood and Penn Avenues, contains not only the Hospital, founded by Dr. Martha Ripley, but two other historic structures: a cottage that once housed nursing staff , and a bungalow that served as an intensive care unit for sick infants.
CCHT will convert all three buildings to rental units and build two new apartment buildings, resulting in 52 rental units for low to moderate income families. Habitat will build eight aff ordable ownership units — a triplex and fi ve town homes — all complementing the existing structures.
As a project of the Minnesota Green Communities Initiative, the development will feature energy effi cient building systems and on-site rain gardens.
Ripley, one of the nation’s fi rst female doctors, was a pioneer in providing quality healthcare to pregnant women, including unwed mothers — a shocking concept in the 19th century. TCHFH is honored to follow in her footsteps by addressing one of today’s most urgent social needs: providing aff ordable shelter for all people.
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