DULUTH — Rethos Places Reimagined, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting the use of old buildings and sites, is laying roots in the community with its new downtown location.
Rethos partners with neighborhood groups, developers, homeowners and main street communities on historic designations, saving important structures, historic tax credit advocacy, investment partnerships, building maintenance and rehabilitation classes, tours, building material reuse education and more.
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Its headquarters is located in St. Paul, with an additional office in Winona. Rethos opened a Duluth location in November at 222 E. Superior St. inside the Zeitgeist building.
Rethos' Minnesota Main Streets Manager Shannon Laing became involved with Rethos while working for Ecolibrium3, a Lincoln Park-based nonprofit focused on equitable and sustainable change, around the time community-wide revitalization efforts began in the neighborhood.
Rethos Places Reimagined is the coordinating partner of its Minnesota Main Streets program for the state of Minnesota — not to be confused with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Main Street Economic Revitalization Program, Laing noted.
Ecolibrium3 used Rethos’ Minnesota Main Streets asset-based program, which is focused on historic buildings as a framework for community development work. In its first year, this work was nationally accredited and awarded, Laing said.
“The Main Street program is used in everything from small towns to urban neighborhoods,” Laing said. “It's not state-funded yet. We are seeking funding this year.”
With Main Street project assistance funds, Laing helped facilitate the Lincoln Park Art Walk. This included placing informational plaques near existing murals throughout the neighborhood. Each plaque has a QR code for participants to learn more about local artists within the community while on their self-guided tour.
“Main Street is a program that could be applicable to any neighborhood in Duluth,” Laing said. “It could be West Duluth, Hillside, Lakeside, downtown. It would just be a matter of those neighborhood folks recognizing that.”
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When a relocation position opened up within Rethos, Laing applied with a special request to work remotely from Duluth, the place she’s called home for the past two decades.
Since Rethos will be taking possession of the North Pier Lighthouse, along with its ongoing progress in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, the organization agreed that Duluth would be a good fit for a more permanent presence.
“I guess we're in Duluth because I asked,” Laing said.
With an established physical location, Rethos will continue its work within the community.
This fall, Rethos Heritage Tourism Program will host a free “Doors Open” event in Duluth where the public will have an opportunity to discover the architecture and history of places throughout the city that they may not have explored before.
Additionally, the Minnesota Main Street State Conference will be held at several locations throughout Lincoln Park from June 4-6. More information will be available soon at rethos.org.
“A greater understanding of your city, I believe, makes for a stronger city and a better understanding of each other in the process,” Laing said.
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