There are some 28 building, encompassing more than 500,000 sf, on the 141-acre site on the Upper Bluffs of the Mississippi River. About 12 of the buildings are houses that used to be home to the officers at the fort.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources owns the land. Ownership of the land and buildings were transferred to the state in the early 1970s by the Federal Government. The DNR is looking for users who would be willing to pay all of the costs without owning the property.

"We're looking at making it an education campus," says Dan Sneva, the park manager.The site is also being promoted to professional firms, such as those in law, public relations and interior design, Sneva says.

As the state Department of Natural Resources has no money to make improvements to the buildings, tenants would pay for the improvements themselves and then lease the buildings, likely at a below-market rate under a long-term lease.

Fixing up the buildings will be expensive. The post tower with its clock will likely take $2 million to renovate, while two buildings the Native American Arts School has its eye on will cost $3.8 billion.

Among the schools planning to establish their schools on the site at the Native American Arts School and Fort Snelling Academy, both charter schools, and the Minnesota Valley Academy, a private school. The buildings will not likely be ready until the fall of 2002.

Instant Insights /

Old Military Fort to be Converted Into School Campus

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