 | Historic Building Turned Into Affordable Housing
March 9, 2006
WCCO, Minneapolis
By Reporter Amelia Santaniello
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The building that used to be the Martha G. Ripley Maternity Hospital will soon give new life to a desolate part of North Minneapolis.
A Minneapolis-based nonprofit is developing Ripley Gardens, which will turn the building into an affordable multi-unit housing project.
The project is named after one of the first female doctors in the United States.
"The cornerstone of the hospital building is a place that honors Dr. Ripley, who was the founder and creator of this facility," said Gina Ciganik, with Central Community Housing Trust.
The project will make use of three historical buildings.
"We see it as an important piece of history in the community that we can't lose," Ciganik said.
Holding onto the past is not easy. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and it took the group nearly two years to preserve the facility.
Three new buildings will also be built, in addition to a garden and a playground. The project will be featured this month on HGTV's "Restore America".
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