Elliot Park Neighborhood, Inc. Records

Elliot Park Neighborhood, Inc. (EPNI) was founded in 1975 by the residents and business owners of the Elliot Park neighborhood. Originally named the Chicago-Elliot Neighborhood Association, EPNI was renamed and incorporated as a non-profit in 1976. Funded by private donations and government grants, EPNI is led by a board of directors and executive director. It is the official neighborhood organization for Elliot Park and was the local administrator of funding received through Minneapolis’ Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). Since its founding, EPNI has had various committees and task forces devoted to housing, safety, community engagement, and issues of local significance.

Located southeast of downtown, Elliot Park is one of the oldest communities in Minneapolis. Interstates 35W and 94 bound the neighborhood to the south and east, 5th St. S to the north, and 5th Ave. S to the west. Many of the area’s early residents were Swedish immigrants drawn to Minneapolis by industry near St. Anthony Falls. The park that gives the neighborhood its name was established in 1883. Construction of interstate freeways in the 1960s substantially changed the Elliot Park neighborhood, removing many homes and separating Elliot Park from the residential areas of south Minneapolis. By the 1970s, Elliot Park was one of the poorest areas the city.

Much of EPNI’s early work addressed poverty, crime, and development of the neighborhood. To restore the neighborhood’s deteriorating buildings, EPNI founded the Neighborhood Improvement Company in the late 1970s. One of the company’s largest projects was the establishment of the Old Town In Town housing cooperative. When the Metrodome stadium was proposed, EPNI was actively involved in the plans for the development and fought against City Venture’s proposed Urban East project, which would have included a new Elliot Park headquarters for Control Data. Other housing and development projects have included the Chicago Avenue Apartments, administration of a small-business loan program, and planning for U.S. Bank Stadium. Crime prevention efforts included the Elliot Park Community Oriented Policing Project (EP-COPP), coordination with local detox facilities and shelters, efforts to shutter local bars and liquor stores, and involvement with city- and statewide coalitions.

Much of the organization’s work focuses on community involvement, including annual events celebrating a variety of occasions, outreach to the area’s immigrant communities, and youth programming.