Following a year of community engagement, North House Folk School will be applying for a

building permit to replace the Yellow Building that houses the school store. The new building will

create space for a new school store as well as two modest-size classrooms. Initial planning for

the structure, on property owned by North House, is designed to align with all city building

requirements and setbacks and as such should not require a variance or conditional use permit.

“We love the little Yellow House and it has been a key part of our campus since we purchased

that parcel from Tommy Eckel almost 25 years ago, but the foundation is cracking,” said Greg

Wright, Executive Director. “Replacing it now creates the opportunity to create some of the

classroom space we need, while also creating a more functional registration area and school

store to welcome neighbors, visitors, and students.”

The proposed project will also enhance community access to the harbor with the addition of an

elevator, as well as public restrooms. Additional elements of the project will be defined in the

coming months.

“Filing for the building permit is the first step toward construction starting late this summer. This

will allow North House to meet our need for classroom space while continuing to engage the

feedback and ideas we received from neighbors last year, especially in regards to the Scott Fish

House and the character of the waterfront,” said Wright. “Our hope is this project will also give

North House the clarity we need to extend the lease for North Superior Fishery on the dock.”

As part of this process, North House has already started reaching out to community members

and neighbors who have been part of planning efforts and discussions. According to Wright, the

goal is to keep the exchange of information and ideas as fluid as possible.

“Last January when we learned that North House’s initial plans involved relocating our great-

grandfather’s fish house, our family was saddened but felt that this was the inevitable result of

having sold the property decades earlier,” shared Laura Scott, “But North House genuinely

listened to us, and knowing that this project won’t impact the Jim Scott Fish House shows their

commitment to the community of Grand Marais.”

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done at North House over the past year,” shared current board

president and Cook County resident, Carol Winter. “Taking time to listen was a critical part of

our planning process, and I think we’ve come a long way from our initial plans to find solutions

to the concerns we heard.”

Carol shared that the board created a task force in August of 2022 to explore alternatives to the

initially proposed classroom building that was located adjacent to the harbor on the Dockside

parcel. “While some community members have suggested building across the street on the land

to the west of our Green building, that parcel’s connection to Indigenous history is something we

are working closely with the Grand Portage Tribal Council and descendants of Chippewa City to

fully understand, and that will take time.”

Winter went on to add, “We also did not want to impact the fishermen, The Fisherman’s

Daughter, or the Angry Trout. In addition, the board is focused on the property North House

owns, not the property we lease from the City of Grand Marais.”

“Our goal is to make sure the proposed building addresses North House’s current needs, which

necessitates that it will be larger than the current Yellow House, which only has a 450 sq ft.

footprint,” said Wright. “Despite the larger size, we are committed to making sure its character

fits with the other buildings on campus and in the neighborhood.”

In an effort to make sure that the community feels well informed about this project, North House

will be hosting two informational sessions on this project: Tuesday, February 7th at noon in the

Boat Barn and Thursday, February 9th at 5:30pm, also in the Boat Barn (the morton building

behind Fisherman’s Daughter).