Activate Rural Storytelling Project: Bauman Hall Arts
Bauman Hall is located on the western end of downtown Jasper, MN.
The Community
Jasper, Minnesota (population 596) is a small, close-knit community in the southwestern part of the state, straddling both Rock and Pipestone counties. The town is best known for its rich deposits of Sioux Quartzite (or “jasper”), a striking pinkish-red rock that has been quarried in the area for over a century. Many of the town’s historic buildings are made of this local stone, creating a rich sense of place and history for its residents and visitors.
Jasper’s school closed in 2001, and the community has experienced a number of challenges in its wake. Students who live in Jasper are now split up and bussed to four neighboring schools, creating a severed sense of community identity that has only been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. A gradual disappearance of local businesses has contributed to the decline and dilapidation of the historic downtown area. Despite these challenges, residents work hard to celebrate their peaceful, small-town lifestyle, coming together to create new amenities like the Jasper Splashpad (opened in June 2025) and plan local events like the annual Quartziter Days.
The Context
One of Jasper’s most striking quartzite buildings is Bauman Hall, which was erected on a prominent corner of downtown in 1908. The three-level building (totaling 12,000 square feet) has experienced many former uses, including a hotel, general store, performance hall, and senior center. In 2018 it was purchased through a tax-forfeiture sale by Reclaim Community, a local non-profit organization dedicated to economic renewal via community engagement and the sustainable adaptive reuse of historic structures. Reclaim Community’s volunteers led a fundraising campaign and masonry restoration project on the building to save it from demolition, sparking new ideas for the future of the building and the community.
Bauman Hall in 1940, when it was the Sacks Bros General Store. (Photo courtesy of the Jasper Historical Society) National wildlife refuge manager and author Ed Crozier wrote about growing up in Jasper in the 1930s and 1940s in his 2006 memoir “Dream Hunter”. In it he describes the Bauman Hall building while it was the Sacks Bros Store: “The Sacks’ store seemed huge inside since the ceilings of the first floor were nearly two stories high. The second floor was a large open space that was used in earlier days for dances, medicine shows, school plays, roller skating and even basketball games. There was a stage and an open space for seating. It had already been abandoned in my time, so I was seldom up there. The store was a full department store with shoes, clothing, fabric, sewing notions and groceries.” (page 17)
The Opportunity
The Bauman Hall Arts initiative was created to sustain the momentum of the building preservation efforts, launching a new journey to transform Bauman Hall into a vibrant arts and cultural center. The team’s vision is to provide a space for local artists and community events, taking care to engage young people in the reimagination of their hometown’s buildings. The restoration and activation of Bauman Hall not only preserves a piece of Jasper's architectural heritage but also serves as a catalyst for economic and cultural development in the area. Reusing existing buildings, especially to provide venues for artistic expression and community gathering, can provide critical momentum for revitalization efforts.
Take a tour of Bauman Hall and other historic Jasper buildings, filmed during the Activate Rural site visit in 2023.
The Activation
With the preservation work of Bauman Hall (and the fundraising for it) actively taking place, the team knew it was important to welcome guests back inside the doors. “This town needs something to bring the community together, get along, make art, and have fun,” said artist and team member Shay Knobloch.
During their time in the Activate Rural Learning Lab, the Bauman Hall Arts team designed activations for the space and the community, including a visioning event, Bauman Hall mural, hands-on classes and workshops, and Jasper’s first public art sculpture project. In October 2024, Bauman Hall hosted a Haunted House event, inviting community members to experience the historic space in a unique and engaging way. It continues to be used for occasional community events and gatherings.
The Transformation
The Activate Rural Learning Lab experience provided the Bauman Hall Arts team with a unique opportunity to test events in the space, which ultimately solidified their goal to preserve the building. To be able to take on renovations of that magnitude, the board has been actively working on building their own capacity. They are currently working on contracting for an energy audit that will ultimately allow them to fundraise for window repair and a new HVAC system.
Meet some of the BHA team members and hear their vision for the future of Bauman Hall.
The Future
Beyond the walls of Bauman Hall, the ARLL has kickstarted conversations within the broader community about the role of art in public spaces. In 2025, the team successfully secured a $20,000 grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council for Jasper’s first public art project. Team member and artist Nichole Cross has been actively working with the community to design a bench sculpture for a local park. The “J” shaped bench sculpture will include a tube time capsule; through some research, Nichole learned that petri dishes fit perfectly in the tubes, so local students will be invited to fill and design their own petri dish for inclusion in the time capsule. The images below show public input meetings and renderings of the piece, which is called “Inviting Jasper”.
The BHA team and the community of Jasper continue to find new ways to revere the past, celebrate their present, and dream for the future. Follow Bauman Hall Arts’ journey at www.baumanhall.org