Germanic-American Institute

Creator:
Germanic-American Institute
Exterior of the Germanic-American Institute, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.

In 1957, a group of German clubs based in the Twin Cities came together to form the Volksfest Association, which represented German Minnesotans at that year’s centennial statehood celebration. After the centennial, eager to obtain an official building, it raised money through selling bonds and organizing fundraising events. In 1965, it purchased a home on Summit Avenue for $57,500 and refurbished the interior to accommodate large social gatherings.

Originally built in 1906 for the family of George W. Gardner and his wife, Claribel, the 301 Summit Avenue home had four stories, including a third-floor ballroom and Rathskeller (cellar pub). After George and Claribel’s deaths in 1934 and 1938, respectively, the house was owned by their son, Truman. In 1948, Truman sold the house to the Sisters of St. Benedict, and it became known as St. Paul’s Priory. By the 1960s the Sisters of St. Benedict had outgrown the property, and in 1965 they sold it to the Volksfest Association before moving to Maplewood.

Later that year, the Volksfest Association moved into the Gardner home and began to use it as its headquarters. They called it the Volksfest Kulturhaus—German for culture center. The building also served as a community hub where German Americans, Minnesotans of German heritage, and anyone interested in German culture could come to learn and celebrate.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the Volksfest Association board of directors underwent a generational shift as younger members replaced older ones. In 1994 members decide to transform the organization from a social club into a non-profit institute and rename it the Germanic-American Institute, or GAI for short. The organization’s shift in focus was also precipitated by an influx of non-Germanic immigrants to the Minneapolis area, as well as the perceived disconnect between newer generations and their German heritage. The GAI’s revised mission statement read “to foster appreciation and understanding of the culture, language, arts, and ongoing history of the German speaking peoples through public educational and cultural programs.”

In the 1990s, many public schools in the Metro area began to drop German-language classes from their curricula. In response, the GAI founded the Twin Cities German Immersion School in 2005. Among other programs, the GAI offers a summer language camps for kids, provides comprehensive German language instruction to adults ranging from new to fluent speakers, and hosts events and speakers that celebrate and promote understanding of German culture, traditions, and history.

In the 2010s, the GAI board of directors anticipated another generational shift. It recognized that although German American millennials had grown up in a globally connected world, they were further removed from their German heritage than ever before. To adapt to this change, the GAI began restoration projects for the house and parking lot and planned new programs to attract younger generations of visitors.

Cite
Lemkins, Jonah. "Germanic-American Institute." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/germanic-american-institute
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First Published: February 20, 2019
Last Modified: April 09, 2025

Bibliography

GAI Board of Directors. 2018 Annual Report. St. Paul: 2018.
https://gai-mn.org/resources/Documents/Annual%20Report%202018.pdf

Germanic-American Institute.
https://gai-mn.org/

Hanson, Krista Finstad. Minnesota Open House: A Guide to Historic House Museums. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2009.

Monahan, Colleen. FY 2015 Authorizer Annual Report: Parts One and Two. St. Paul: 2015.
https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/groups/educ/documents/basic/mdaw/mdyw/~edisp/060356~2.pdf

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Related Images

Germanic-American Institute
Exterior of the Germanic-American Institute, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
German-American Institute at Christmas time
The exterior of the Germanic-American Institute decorated for Christmas, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
Visitors entering the Germanic-American Institute.
Visitors entering the Germanic-American Institute, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
Sisters of St. Benedict in front of the Gardner family house
Sisters of St. Benedict in front of the Gardner family house (301 Summit Avenue, St. Paul) in 1948. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
George W. Gardner home
The George W. Gardner home (later the Germanic-American Institute), 301 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, 1948. Photograph by the St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press
Germanic-American Institute

Germanic-American Institute

Exterior of the Germanic-American Institute, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
© Germanic-American Institute    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Germanic-American Institute
German-American Institute at Christmas time

German-American Institute at Christmas time

The exterior of the Germanic-American Institute decorated for Christmas, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
© Germanic-American Institute    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Germanic-American Institute
Visitors entering the Germanic-American Institute.

Visitors entering the Germanic-American Institute.

Visitors entering the Germanic-American Institute, ca. 2010s. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
© Germanic-American Institute    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Germanic-American Institute
Sisters of St. Benedict in front of the Gardner family house

Sisters of St. Benedict in front of the Gardner family house

Sisters of St. Benedict in front of the Gardner family house (301 Summit Avenue, St. Paul) in 1948. Used with the permission of the Germanic-American Institute.
© Germanic-American Institute    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Germanic-American Institute
George W. Gardner home

George W. Gardner home

The George W. Gardner home (later the Germanic-American Institute), 301 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, 1948. Photograph by the St. Paul Dispatch-Pioneer Press
© Minnesota Historical Society    

Holding Location

Photograph Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul

Turning Point

In 1957, German clubs based in the Twin Cities come together to form the Volksfest Association, the forerunner of the Germanic-American Institute.

Chronology

1906
George W. Gardner builds a house in St. Paul at 301 Summit Avenue.
1938
The house is passed down to Truman Gardner, George’s son.
1948
The Gardner family sells the house to the Sisters of St. Benedict.
1957
A collection of German clubs based in the Twin Cities comes together to form the Volksfest Association.
1965
The Volksfest Association purchases the Summit Avenue house and begins to use it as its headquarters.
1994
The Volksfest Association transforms from a social club into the non-profit Germanic-American Institute (GAI). It begins to offer German language and culture classes to children as well as adults.
2005
The GAI founds the Twin Cities German Immersion School.
2018
The GAI explores modern options for fundraising and public awareness.

Bibliography

GAI Board of Directors. 2018 Annual Report. St. Paul: 2018.
https://gai-mn.org/resources/Documents/Annual%20Report%202018.pdf

Germanic-American Institute.
https://gai-mn.org/

Hanson, Krista Finstad. Minnesota Open House: A Guide to Historic House Museums. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2009.

Monahan, Colleen. FY 2015 Authorizer Annual Report: Parts One and Two. St. Paul: 2015.
https://education.mn.gov/mdeprod/groups/educ/documents/basic/mdaw/mdyw/~edisp/060356~2.pdf

Related Resources