Historic Buildings of East St. Cloud Subject of August Class

(KNSI) – Salem Lutheran Church in southeast St. Cloud will be hosting a class on repurposing old buildings.

Melissa Wenzel from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be presenting on how to reimagine historical structures for modern times. The event is being organized by the Rethos Organization and the Stearns History Museum.

Central Minnesota Education Coordinator Ann Marie Johnson says Wenzel will talk about examples of renovations that have been successful and ways to recycle materials from those that can’t be rehabbed.

“There are some times when a site actually, for whatever reason, can’t remain standing or there’s no viable option for reuse but sometimes the materials then, and often that’s the case, the materials can be reused or repurposed in some other ways,” Johnson notes.

Titled Repurposing Buildings: Turning Vacant Spaces into Community Places, it is scheduled for Tuesday, August 1st from 5:30-7:00 p.m. It will focus specifically on east St. Cloud.

Johnson says, “We also will share a little bit about the history. We’re kind of using east St. Germain as a good context and some good examples of the buildings that are there and Mary Ostby, who’s with the Benton County Historical Society [as executive director], who’s just a wealth of information, is going to help us with getting that history, as well.”

The presentation is free and the public is welcome, but registration is required. A link is here. Salem Lutheran Church is located at 90 Riverside Drive Southeast.

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