Minnesota Humanities
Event Center

Room Dimensions:
36’x33′
Room Capacities:
Oval Tables=56
Open U=24
Hollow Square=30
Theatre Style=70

Room Dimensions:
14’x24′
Room Capacity:
12-14

Room Dimensions:
12’x20′
Room Capacity:
8-10

We have a total of 15 rooms and 18 beds to accommodate your group. We have 12 single rooms with one queen size bed and 3 double rooms with two full size beds.

Each overnight room has its own private bath and vanity area, working desk, reading chair, and standard toiletries and amenities are also in the rooms.

There are no TVs or refrigerators in the rooms, however there is wireless internet throughout the building, and we do have a very comfortable guest lounge to gather in, which has plenty of seating for conversations, TV watching or connecting with each other. There is also a kitchenette that includes a microwave, refrigerator, and toaster oven for your use during your stay.

Includes continental breakfast and luncheon (beverages, starter, main entrée, and dessert), afternoon break service (beverages and two items from our snack menu) and all-day beverage service. Hours are typically between 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Standard Rate: $74.00 per person per day
Government/Nonprofit Rate: $69 per person per day
20-person minimum for weekend events

Includes dinner (beverages, starter, main entrée, and dessert) and evening break service (beverages and two items from our snack menu). Evening hours are typically between 5:00 and 10:00 PM

Standard Rate: $54.00 per person per day
Government/Nonprofit Rate: $49 per person per day
20-person minimum for evening events

Shorter meetings, receptions, and special events also may be arranged at the Minnesota Humanities Center. Prices will be quoted on an event-by-event basis. We can also customize the package rates and adjust them according to your needs.

• Telephones and Polycom Conference Phone
• Logitech Meet-Up Wide-Angle Conference Web Cam with Extension Microphone
• Laptop Web Cameras
• Laptop Microphone
• White Boards with dry-erase markers
• Easels and Easel Paper
• Podiums
• Laptops
• A/V Carts
• HDMI, VGA, and other adaptors available to connect laptop or device to projector/TV
• LCD Projectors (ceiling mounted in Library and Commons)
• TV Monitors to hook up laptop to (wall mounted in Board Room and Ivy Room)
• Screens (mounted in the Library and Commons)
• Handheld or Lapel Microphone (2 of each available for Library and Commons use)
• High-speed Internet access (wireless connections are available with password posted in each room)
• 6’x18” and 8’x18” tables for display, registration, presenters, etc.
• 72” oval tables (can seat 7/table in the Library, 8/table in the Commons)

Warm Meals

All items served with dessert and starter (house salad or soup) along with beverages (coffee, water, tea, and soda).

Teriyaki Chicken with Mango Salsa
Grilled chicken breast with a rich teriyaki glaze and topped with fresh mango salsa. Served with fresh cilantro
and lime jasmine rice and seasonal vegetables.

Blackberry Grilled Chicken
A chicken breast grilled in a balsamic blackberry marinade served with cannellini bean, corn sauté, and seasonal
vegetables.

Grilled Lemon-Thyme Chicken Piccata
Olive oil-marinated grilled chicken breasts, topped with capers, parsley, and lemon-thyme butter. Served with
orzo and seasonal vegetable.

Curried Tofu Mango Stir-Fry (Vegetarian and Vegan)
Cubes of fried tofu tossed with a stir-fried combination of mushrooms, green peppers, scallions, red onions,
sauced with mango chutney, and spiced just a bit. Served with rice and a house salad.

Sandwiches & Wraps

All items served with dessert and starter (house salad or soup) along with beverages (coffee, water, tea, and soda).

Caprese Grilled Sandwich
Layered mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar-mayonnaise grilled on sourdough bread to perfection.
Served with potato chips and your choice of soup or salad.

Hummus Grilled Veggie Wrap
Eggplant, portobello mushrooms, red peppers, red onions grilled in a balsamic vinaigrette and wrapped in a
tortilla with hummus. Served with potato chips and your choice of soup or salad.

Margarita Chicken Sandwich
Grilled, margarita marinated chicken breast; chilled and then topped with tomato, onion, avocado, lettuce and
mayonnaise and served on a baguette. Served with chips and your choice of soup or salad.

Grilled Chicken BLT Wrap
A tortilla stuffed with grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato. Served with kettle chips and fresh fruit.

Garden Wrap (Can be prepared as vegan.)
Flour tortillas stuffed with spinach, sprouts, cucumbers, red onions, havarti dill cheese, cream cheese,
mayonnaise and whole grain mustard. Served with an apple and red cabbage slaw, pickles and kettle fried
potato chips

Prime Rib Sandwich
A crusty baguette houses thinly sliced prime rib of beef bathed in au jus topped with sautéed onions and
topped with gruyere cheese. Served with kettle fried potato chips and your choice of soup.

Salad Entrees

All items served with dessert and starter (house salad or soup) along with beverages (coffee, water, tea, and soda).

Chicken Caesar Salad
Homemade Caesar dressing, romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, garlicky croutons tossed together and topped
with grilled chicken. Served with parmesan garlic toast.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken
Spinach greens with grilled chicken, strawberries, feta cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Cobb Salad
Crisp romaine lettuce and peppery watercress tossed with crisp sautéed bacon, sliced avocado, crumbled
Maytag bleu cheese, diced fresh tomatoes, poached chicken, and finally our homemade red wine vinaigrette.
Served with bread.

Pasta Dishes

Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Lasagna
Layers of lasagna noodles, spinach mixed with salted and peppered ricotta, simmered squash pureed and mixed
with goat cheese, and all sorts of mushrooms sautéed in butter. Served with a house salad and garlicky
parmesan bread.

Lasagna
Layers of pasta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and meat sauce which is baked until the top is golden.
Served with a house salad and garlicky parmesan bread.

Beef Bourguignon
A classic dish of beef slowly braised in red wine and brown stock until extremely tender and deeply flavored is
combined with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions and then served with the rich wine sauce over egg
noodles. Served with a house salad and bread.

“Build Your Own” Lunch

These meals are served buffet style and reserved for groups of twenty people or more. We will have hand sanitizing
stations set up for guests to use prior to using the buffet line. Each offering includes menu items shown in description
and your choice of dessert. There are no soup or salad starter with these menus.

Soup and Salad Bar
A make your own salad bar complete with mixed greens, diced chicken, and various toppings served with
bread and your choice of two selections from our soup menu.

Taco Bar
Ground beef served with both hard shell corn tortillas and soft flour tortillas, refried beans, corn tortilla chips,
and a condiments bar including lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. (There is no
soup or salad starter with this choice.)

The Delicatessen*
A selection of fresh breads, meats, cheeses, and vegetables. Served with your choice of soup, pasta salad and
chips. *May contain pork (ham) as one of the meats. Non-pork options will always be included.

Burger Bar
The burger bar includes a classic beef hamburger (veggie burgers can be ordered as well) paired with all the
favorites: lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, mayo, ketchup, and mustard. Served with kettle chips, baked beans
and potato salad.

The Mediterranean
Curried chicken, seared peppers and onions, spicy yellow split peas, creamed curry spinach, basmati and lentils,
and a salad served with a sweet dill dressing.

Mac and Cheese Bar
Classic elbow pasta loaded with a variety of cheeses and served with all the classics on the side: grilled chicken,
bacon, turkey sausage, broccoli, green onions and Franks Buffalo Sauce.

Fajitas
Grilled chicken and beef served with seared peppers and onions, refried beans, Spanish-style rice pilaf, warmed
tortillas, tortilla chips, and a condiments bar including lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and
guacamole. (There is no soup or salad starter with this choice.)

Pulled BBQ Pork and BBQ Chicken
Build your own sandwich on a brioche bun with pulled BBQ pork and chicken paired with pineapple cole slaw,
pickles, and kettle chips.

All items served with dessert and starter (house salad or soup) along with beverages (coffee, water, tea, and soda).

Parmesan Dijon Chicken
Chicken breast bathed in Dijon mustard and coated with a mixture of breadcrumbs, parsley, chives and
parmesan cheese. Roasted and dressed with a mayonnaise mustard blend. Served with roasted red potatoes
and fresh seasonal vegetables.

Teriyaki Chicken with Mango Salsa
Grilled chicken breast with a rich teriyaki glaze and topped with fresh mango salsa. Served with fresh cilantro
and lime jasmine rice and seasonal vegetables.

Lasagna
Layers of pasta, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, and meat sauce which is baked until the top is golden.

Butternut Squash and Wild Mushroom Lasagna
Layers of lasagna noodles, spinach mixed with salted and peppered ricotta, simmered squash pureed and mixed
with goat cheese, and all sorts of mushrooms sautéed in butter. Served with garlicky parmesan bread.

Burger Bar
The burger bar includes a classic beef hamburger (veggie burgers can be ordered as well) paired with all the
favorites: lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, mayo, ketchup, and mustard. Served with kettle chips, baked beans
and potato salad.

Curried Tofu Mango Stir-Fry (Vegetarian and Vegan)
Cubes of fried tofu tossed with a stir-fried combination of mushrooms, green peppers, scallions, red onions,
sauced with mango chutney, and spiced just a bit.

Dried Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin
Pork loin stuffed with ginger, apricots, prunes, garlic, caraway, and herbs and served with an enriched pan
sauce, orzo and seasonal vegetables.

Tofu, Pepper and Zucchini Stuffed Mushroom (Can be prepared as vegan.)
Little diced pieces of tofu, zucchini, summer squash, and red peppers all tossed together with Worcestershire
sauce and parmesan cheese, then stuffed into a Portobello mushroom cap and roasted. Served with Arborio
rice risotto and fresh seasonal vegetables.

Chicken Escoffier
An elegant and classic preparation of a breast of chicken doused with clarified butter, breaded with fresh
breadcrumbs and sautéed until golden served with Arborio rice risotto and seasonal vegetables. The dish is
finished with a ring of intensely flavored balsamic glaze.

Herb-stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade
Turkey breast butterflied, stuffed with a variety of herbs, rolled up, wrapped in applewood-smoked bacon and
roasted. Served with Arborio rice risotto and seasonal vegetables.

Beef Bourguignon
A classic dish of beef slowly braised in red wine and brown stock until extremely tender and deeply flavored is
combined with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions and then served with the rich wine sauce over egg
noodles.

Chicken Noodle
Flavorful chicken broth with onion, carrot, celery, pasta and chunks of chicken breast.

Tuscan Vegetable (Vegetarian and Vegan)
Rustic vegetable soup with cannellini beans, leeks, carrots, zucchinis, spinach and so on. Touched with herbs
and parmesan cheese.

Tomato Bisque (Vegetarian)
Creamy and chunky tomato soup flavored with dill.

Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberries macerated in sugar, served over angel food cake and topped with whipped cream.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
Light, rich and fluffy chocolate mousse!

Gourmet Cookie Variety

Fruit Cup (gluten free and vegan)
Pineapple, Grapes, Strawberries and Cantaloupe

White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake
Triple layered cake with white chocolate and raspberry cream filling.

Lemon Supreme Shortcake
A triple layer shortcake of lemon cream and whipped cream

Please choose two options for your break service.

Trail Mix with dried fruit and nuts

Assorted Granola Bars

Chex Mix

Hummus and Pretzel Crisps or Pita Chips

Bagged Sweet Treats (Chips Ahoy, Oreos, and Golden Oreos)

Veggie Straws

Hand held, whole fruit (a variety of bananas, apples, pears, oranges)

Fresh Cookies and Bars

Apple Wedges with Peanut Butter and Caramel Dipping Sauce

Peanut Butter filled Pretzels and Chocolate Candy

Tortilla Chips and Homemade Salsa

Veggies and Dip

Hard Pretzels served with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Bagged Snacks (a variety of Kettle Chips, Trail Mix, and Mixed Nuts)

Cold Hors d’oeuvres

Hors d’oeuvres are priced per 25 pieces, unless otherwise indicated.

Chips and Salsa, $30
Serves 25
Our chef’s homemade salsa served with tortilla chips.

Gourmet Cheese Plate, $89
Serves 25
Four to five varieties of artisan cheeses (a selection that may include and is not limited to: Tillamook sharp
cheddar, Gruyere, Stilton, Maytag Bleu, Gorgonzola picante, Chevre, Camembert, Sheep’s milk) served with a
variety of crackers, biscuits, breads, etc.

Simple Cheese Tray, $49
Serves 25
A selection of standard cheeses served with a variety of crackers.

Warmed Brie with Raspberry Jam and Almonds, $62
Serves 25
A wheel of creamy Brie cheese is topped with raspberry ham and sliced almonds, and then baked until just
warm. Served with crusty French bread.

Strawberry and Brie, $62
Slices of Limoncello-soaked strawberries, served with triple cream Brie. Served at room temperature, with
crusty French bread.

Grilled Vegetable Platter, $65
Serves 25
Assorted grilled vegetables, served with a spicy yogurt dip. Selection will vary, depending on season, but will
include at least 4 of the following: carrots, bell pepper, squash, zucchini, potatoes, and asparagus.

Raw Vegetable Crudités, $62
Serves 25
Assorted fresh vegetables, served with curry dip and Ranch dip. Selection will vary, depending on season, but
will include at least 4 of the following: carrots, celery, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, jicama, yellow
squash, peapods, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, cucumber.

Hummus & Pita, $42
Serves 25
A chickpea purée served with wedges of pita bread.

Shrimp with Fresh Cocktail Sauce, $88
Peeled, de-veined shrimp poached in shrimp stock, served with a homemade classic cocktail sauce.

Insalata Caprese Crostini, $64
Slices of baguette brushed with olive oil, grilled and topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil.

Deviled Eggs, $28
Hard-boiled eggs halved and filled with a mixture of egg yolk, mustard, and mayonnaise, topped with a variety
of garnishes.

Mixed Nuts, $48
Serves 25
A combination of at least four of the following nuts: honey almonds, masala spiced peanuts, pecans, and spicy
cashews, walnuts, and macadamias.

Fruit Tray, $54
Serves 25
A selection of fresh, seasonal fruit.

Meat Assortment with Dollar Buns, $85
Serves 25
Add cheese slices, tomato, onions, and lettuce for an additional $40
An assortment cold sliced roast beef, ham, turkey served with buns and condiments

Hot Hors d’oeuvres

Hors d’oeuvres are priced per 25 pieces, unless otherwise indicated.

Chicken Tandoori, $54
Roasted pieces of chicken marinated in yogurt and spices with onion and peppers.

Sea Scallops Wrapped with Bacon*, $83
Large sea scallops wrapped with applewood smoked bacon, brushed with a mixture of lemon juice, chives,
olive oil, and garlic, then grilled.
*Contains pork

American Meatballs with Smoky Chipotle Sauce, $44
Seared meatballs in a chipotle tomato sauce.

Pork Satay and Pineapple*, $54
Satays of marinated pork shoulder skewered alternately with chunks of fresh pineapple, grilled, and garnished
with toasted white sesame seeds.
*Contains pork

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Heart Dip, $54
Serves 25
The dip is made with spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, onion, béchamel sauce, Worcestershire, Parmesan
cheese. Served with chunks of warm baguette.

Spanakopita, $67
A mixture of spinach, Feta cheese, scallions, and cream cheese inside a triangle of phyllo dough, baked until
crisp.

Asparagus Straws, $74
Blanched asparagus stalks are wrapped with thinly sliced Prosciutto de Parma, Parmesan cheese and phyllo
dough, then baked until the dough is crispy.

Beef Tenderloin Teriyaki, $57
Pieces of beef tenderloin marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic, ginger, scallions and sesame
oil grilled and garnished with slivers of scallions.

Hot Crab Dip, $67
A hot dip made of cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce, Old bay seasoning, and fresh
crabmeat. Served with slices of baguette bread for dipping.

Dessert Hors d’oeuvres

Black and White Chocolate Covered Strawberries, $48
Fresh strawberries dipped in dark or white chocolate.

Mini-Creampuffs with Two Sauces, $45
Small cream filled creampuffs, with chocolate and strawberry sauces.

Gourmet Cookies, $38
A combination of sugar, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, peanut butter, or triple chocolate chip cookies.

Nanaimo Bars, $48
All bars start with a chocolate graham crust base, then with a layer of custard topped with either the flavors of Cappuccino, Irish Crème, Peanut Butter and Nanaimo.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cake, $43
Triple layered cake with white chocolate and raspberry cream filling.

Lemon Supreme Shortcake, $43
A triple layer shortcake of lemon cream and whipped cream

Beverages

Soda (Coke & Pepsi Products) $2 each

Bottled Water $2 each

Infused Water $15/dispenser (40 glasses) (No charge for plain water dispenser)

Coffee & Hot Tea $18/urn (14 cups)

Punch $35/dispenser (40 glasses)

Lemonade $35/ dispenser (40 glasses)

Iced Tea $35/ dispenser (40 glasses)

Sparkling Cider $9/bottle (8 glasses)

Use the button below to download the Minnesota Humanities Event Center Spring/Summer 2023 Menus.

Download Menus

The Minnesota Humanities Center’s current location near Lake Phalen in St. Paul was built in 1924 as part of the original Gillette Children’s Hospital campus. It was built to provide a place where children could continue their education within the hospital setting.

Intrinsic to the missions of both Gillette Children’s Hospital and the Minnesota Humanities Center is the assumption that all people, regardless of their race, creed, class, or physical ability, should have the opportunity to learn. It is fitting, therefore, that the hospital’s former schoolhouse has been restored to serve as a center for humanities education.

Gillette Children’s Hospital was founded in 1897 to treat the orthopedic diseases of disadvantaged children. It moved to its Lake Phalen site in 1911; Dowling Memorial Hall — now the Humanities Center — was built as a memorial to Michael J. Dowling, who became a prominent educator and state legislator despite having lost his feet and hands to frostbite, triumphing in spite of his disability. Gillette Superintendent Elizabeth McGovern wrote in a 1921 letter:

“Mr. Dowling stood for opportunity for the physically handicapped and… the most fitting memorial that could be erected to his memory would be a school where children of normal mentality, physically handicapped, might have the opportunity to get an education that would fit them to go out into their communities and take their places as self-supporting citizens.”

Architectural researcher Paul Larson notes that though architect Clarence H. Johnston favored separate cottages for most of the institutions he designed, the Gillette West Wing was built under a single roof to accommodate patients. The structure was originally a single floor with K-12 classrooms, millinery and watch-making workshops, an auditorium and a library built in the “telephone pole” plan which made the entire building accessible from one wide hallway. There were no tricky corners or stairs to hinder wheelchairs and gurneys. The “Spanish style” stucco and tile exterior was inexpensive, was impervious to harsh Minnesota weather and allowed for large windows in every room. This was very important to Gillette’s method of sun-treatment for the patients (and very pleasant for the guests and staff today).

It is believed that Dowling Hall was left standing after the rest of the hospital was demolished because it was one of the more recent and decorative buildings. The graceful portico and elegant marble floors speak for themselves. The delightful carved tiles were most likely imported from Henry Chapman Mercer’s Moravian Pottery and Tiles Works in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

The whimsical plaster sculptures, on the other hand, remain something of a mystery. Based on the appearance and context, we believe they were carved by the St. Paul-based Brioschi-Minuti Company, which was responsible for Columbus statues in St. Paul and Chicago, the interiors of the Basilica of St. Mary and the State Theater, and other important artistic decoration in the Midwest during the 1910s-1940s. Johnston’s transfer ledgers show that he worked several times with Carlo and Amerigo Brioschi from 1920 to 1935, even designing the Brioschi mausoleum.

The figures in the atrium of the building are small, contorted American Indians, Redcoats, and Pilgrims, all taking aim at some fierce enemy. These may have been based on figures that appeared in a popular children’s reader of the 1920s. Nestled among the grapevine moldings in the Commons, the “Humanities Trolls” are amazingly appropriate for the Humanities Center. The same sort of disfigured men — knees drawn up, hands gnarled — are depicted reading a book, peering at a globe, singing songs, and playing an instrument.

Two years after the Gillette Children’s Hospital moved to downtown St. Paul in 1977, the entire 13-acre campus was razed except the west wing. Although various organizations and developers expressed interest in the property, it remained vacant for 18 years until the Humanities Center renovated the building at a cost of $2.57 million. In 1996 the Humanities Center opened and now houses a full-service meeting and event center, 15 administrative offices, and 15 overnight guest rooms.

Our building is also home to the offices of the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC), a statewide nonprofit that envisions a just society that is connected, curious, and compassionate. Our building hosts many educational and community events that complement our programmatic work as it reinforces the MHC as a place where people gather, strengthen connections, and participate in meaningful dialogues.

Learn More

MHC is committed to providing a safe, clean, and healthy environment for our employees and customers. Our Commitment to Guest Safety outlines how we are doing this.

We believe keeping everyone safe is a shared responsibility. Review and share our Client Commitment with your attendees prior to your event to ensure public health and safety.

Click photos to view larger images.

Click photos to view larger images.

Click photos to view larger images.

Click photos to view larger images.

Click photos to view larger images.