North House Folk School Welcome Center

The North House Folk School Welcome Center is a centerpiece of the North House Folk School campus in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The Welcome Center serves as the primary hub for student and visitor greetings and information. It typically houses the administrative offices, registration desk, and a gift shop featuring handmade crafts, books on traditional skills, and school merchandise.

The Welcome Center is where the front office and School Store are located, and where students check in for class, it also connects to our administrative offices. An outdoor masonry oven and a community fire ring are located in a central courtyard.

North House Folk School Welcome Center was influenced by several key factors that the board wanted to accomplish including: Energy efficiency; a quick speed of construction due to the short window for construction along the north shore of Lake Superior; the strength of panels; and the environmental values which align with the school's commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices.

Quick Installation, allowing for faster construction along the North Shore of Lake Superior, where timeliness was key in this short construction window.

The speed of installation and the reduction in labor costs also lowered the project's overall construction costs.

Lower ongoing utility costs will be significant when cold winter winds blow across Lake Superior, improving long-term occupant comfort and reducing environmental impact (energy and cost savings).

The project began as part of North House Folk School's Framing the Future campaign. For six weeks after that first cut, North House instructors Tom Healy and Peter Henrikson guided 16 volunteers each week as they cut the white pine timbers used as the building's timber frame.