Burglars break into art studios at Northrup King building

By Tim Harlow, Star Tribune

Burglars didn't take much, but over the weekend they did cause considerable amount of damage to doors and locks inside a northeast Minneapolis building that houses studios and shops featuring the work of several Twin Cities artists.

One or more culprits entered the Northrup King Building sometime between Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon and used an "unknown tool" to force open the doors to 14 businesses on the second floor of the sprawling 800,000 square-foot building at 1500 NE. Jackson St., Minneapolis Police said.

One business which specializes in Peruvian rugs reported that a laptop computer was stolen, but no rugs were missing. Two other businesses reported missing items, said building owner Debbie Woodward.

Woodward told police that damage to the businesses involved may exceed $75,000.

A business owner discovered the damage when she came to her studio Sunday afternoon. She had locked the door when she left Saturday afternoon, but found that it had been pried open when she returned at 4 p.m. Sunday.

A security guard had been on duty at the time of the incident, but he told police that he was unaware of the burglaries, according to a Minneapolis police report.

The building which is nearly two blocks long is open and accessible 24 hours. Each individual suite has a door that is able to be locked. Beyond that, each studio or suite owner is responsible for its own security, Woodward said.

"This will probably make more people put more locks on their doors," Woodward said. "And if they want to get a security service, they are welcome to do that."

Woodward said trouble like the break-ins is rare and infrequent and that it remains a safe place for artists to display and sell their wares.

"We don't have much trouble here," Woodward said.

The building is home to more than 130 artists and is the epicenter for two extremely popular visual art events, Art-A-Whirl in the spring and Minneapolis Art Attack in the fall. Studios and shops are open to the public from 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month, and at other times by appointment.

Police are still investigating. No one had been arrested as of Tuesday afternoon, said Sgt. Tammy Diedrich.

Tim Harlow • harlow@startribune.com