By Tom Scanlan

Everybody needs a home, a place one can be comfortable in and be proud of.  The same is true for organizations.  The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota has a new one.  Actually, our new home is a stately old mansion.

In December 1993, the NFB of Minnesota and BLIND inc. jointly purchased the former Charles S. Pillsbury mansion at 100 East 22nd Street in Minneapolis.  Charles was a son of the founder of the Pillsbury company.

BLIND obtained a grant from State Services for the Blind to make the building conform to SSB accessibility standards for training programs for the handicapped.  Several private foundations also gave grants for remodeling and repairs.

After some cleaning by NFB of Minnesota volunteers and remodeling, we moved from our offices in downtown Minneapolis in March 1994.  BLIND moved in April.  However, construction never goes as fast as the contractor promises and the first few weeks were an adventure of navigating around constantly shifting rolls of carpet, hearing and being heard over hammering and sawing, wiping up plaster dust, and generally settling in.

The largest construction project was the addition of an elevator.  The building is very solidly built of concrete and steel.  The floors are 18 inches thick.  Because of this construction, and to preserve the historic nature of the building, the elevator had to be built on the outside.  This was the same as adding a new room, and it was very expensive and time consuming.  It was not completed until January, although it had been promised by the contractor for October.

The NFB of Minnesota and BLIND held the Grand Opening on October 14.  NFB President Marc Maurer was the featured speaker and dedicated the building to the benefit of the blind of Minnesota.  Approximately 300 people attended, included several government officials and candidates for public office.  The BLIND students did an outstanding job of decorating and food preparation.

Our Metro Chapter has held several activities there, including its Holiday Party in December.  The building is wonderful for such things.  It has lots of space and excellent facilities.