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The completion of the Jourdain marks the halfway point for the Franklin-Portland Gateway development, a partnership of CCHT and Hope Community to transform the once-troubled intersection.

The grand opening event was sponsored by UrbanWorks Architecture and National

Winnie Jourdain's great-great granddaughter is presented with a memorial plaque

Equity Fund (NEF).

The program featured Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, Minnesota Housing Commissioner Tim Marx, and Winnie Lindstrom, the 15-year-old great-great granddaughter of Winnie Jourdain, after whom the building was named.

Winnie Lindstrom remembered with pride the woman who moved from the White Earth Reservation to Minneapolis in the 1920s and made her house on the corner of Franklin and Portland a refuge for American Indians new to city life.

“This neighborhood has always been about family,” said Mayor Rybak. “And we really are all one family. This beautiful new development shows what is possible when we work together for the good of the city and its people.”

CCHT President Alan Arthur said that the investment represented by the Gateway development will help drive positive change in the neighborhood.

Minnesota Housing Commissioner Tim Marx urged attendees to help maintain state funding for affordable housing initiatives by contacting their legislators.

Ultimately, the Gateway development will feature more than 250 high quality, mixed-income apartments and town homes, along with new retail businesses and neighborhood space. Semi-private courtyards, green space, and children’s play areas will make it a livable, family-friendly community.

Construction on the next phase of the development, the Wellstone, is expected to begin later this summer.

 Learn more about The Jourdain  
 Learn more about the Franklin-Portland Gateway  

Image Gallery: Jourdain Grand Opening Slide Show
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