By Robb Murray
The Free Press
MANKATO — The Theresa House Shelter is considering the former Bandana Brewery building for a new home.
Documents filed with the city of Mankato show ambitious plans to install 18 bedrooms, seven offices, kitchen, dining and laundry facilities, a conference room, TV room and a children’s play area on the site.
“The site is great. It has tremendous potential, and the best thing about it is there’s room for a playground,” said Pam Bartholomew of Partners for Affordable Housing, which includes Theresa House. “This just seems to have more space and it’s a neighborhood setting.”
When Bartholomew says “more space,” she’s referring to the previous site the organization had targeted for a Theresa House location.
That site, at 215 Maxfield St., was set to be remodeled as the new shelter, but Bartholomew said they were unable to agree on terms with the property owner.
The new location, Bartholomew said, would solve their space issues and keep them running as a vital part of the region’s services for the homeless.
Theresa House primarily serves women and children but will also accept men if they are with the rest of the family. The shelter previously had been housed in a building owned by St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church. But when the church needed to make room for an on-site seminary, it asked the shelter to find a new home.
Since then Theresa House has joined forces with the other major non-profit organization serving the homeless, Partners for Affordable Housing. The two have pooled their resources.
They have a temporary solution for housing Theresa House clients but really want to get going on a permanent location.
The plans for the Bandana Brewery site show that, if ultimately acted upon, it would include nearly twice as many bedrooms as the Maxfield Place location. At 13,704 square feet, the building also is much bigger than the other, which was 8,547 square feet.
Mankato city staff has recommended approval of the plans to the city’s Planning Commission. From there, it would go to the City Council for final approval.
Bartholomew said they met with area residents and the feedback was positive. She said they liked the idea of having a shelter instead of a drinking establishment for a neighbor.
“The former neighbors were a little noisy at night when the bar closed,” she said. “They thought a shelter with curfews wouldn’t be as noisy.”
As for raising money, Bartholomew says she’s confident Mankato will come through with enough to take care of its community members in need.
“We’re currently doing a feasibility study to determine whether a capital campaign would be successful,” she said. “Our goal is $1.5 million.”
The $1.5 million will be used to purchase and renovate the building.
