Explore City of Lakes Waldorf School as part of Doors Open Minneapolis 2026! Enjoy interactive indoor and outdoor kids and family activities, and tour our beautiful historic building built in 1922 by Magney and Tusler (the architectural firm behind the Foshay Tower).
Doors Open Minneapolis
Saturday, May 9, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm (schedule below)
City of Lakes Waldorf School
FREE
About Doors Open Minneapolis
CLWS is honored to be a part of Doors Open Minneapolis, produced by Rethos. This popular event invites visitors to explore the buildings that tell our city’s story. From theaters to business hubs, sacred spaces to private clubs, sports complexes to engineering wonders, historical gems to not-even-open-yet buildings, Doors Open Minneapolis will give you a FREE behind-the-scenes look at many exciting venues.
What to Expect
Join us for a joyful day of creativity, connection, and screen-free fun for the whole family! Enjoy hands-on activities indoors and out—music, nature-inspired crafts, circus demos, and more—celebrating Screen-Free Week (May 4-10) and our uniquely screen-free curriculum.
In addition to both indoor and outdoor kids and family activities, attendees will enjoy walking through our beautiful lobby (featuring original tilework and masonry including a working stone carved fountain) and first floor classrooms, and exploring our outdoor play areas and natural spaces, including the beloved crabapple trees along our school’s western perimeter that Jane Goodall helped our students plant.
Guided activities will take place from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm and 1:00 – 4:00 pm, and a fun scavenger hunt (with sweet and simple prizes!) will be happening ALL day.
| All Day | Scavenger Hunt, explore our indoor and outdoor classrooms, learn about our building’s history |
| 10:00 am – 1:00 pm | Community Singing with Grades Teacher Timothy Frantzich (10:00 – 11:00 am) |
| Seed planting and beeswax crafting with our Early Childhood teachers (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) | |
| Finger knitting and spinning wool with Handwork Teacher Liz Kelley (10:00 – 11:30 am) | |
| Circus arts demos and activities with alumni Thayer Slichter (10:00 am – 12:00 pm) | |
| Origami animals with Spanish Teacher Cyntia Wolburg (10:00 am – 1:00 pm) | |
| School Store open for shopping (10:00 am – 12:30 pm) | |
| Building history Q&A with Mr. Kane and alumni parent + board member Ryan Kronzer | |
| 1:00 – 4:00 pm | Seed planting and beeswax crafting with our Early Childhood teachers (2:00 – 4:00 pm) |
| Wool butterflies with Grades Teacher Maisy Schendel (1:00 – 3:00 pm) |
Parking and Accessibility
Ample parking is available in our school parking lot on the north side of the building, right off Nicollet Ave. Buses 17 and 18 stop directly outside our front entrance. We also have bike racks available in the front and back of our school building.
Handicap parking is available, and the north entrance of the building (right next to the parking lot) is fully accessible.
Building History
Our historic home was originally an office building and the home of the Hardware Mutual Insurance Company until 1964. Following 1964, the building housed the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Lavender Magazine, the American Refugee Committee, accountant Neal Thoelke, Access to Employment, Inc., the Center for Policy, Planning and Performance, the Tibetan American Foundation, and Freedom of Speech, Inc. before being purchased by City of Lakes Waldorf School in 1999.
While many renovations have been made over the past 25 years to transform our approximately 50,000 square feet of space into a functional school building, the design and care that the original architects and designers dedicated to the building is still evident and cherished. From the ornate lobby to the light-filled classrooms, our building is beloved by generations of students, parents, staff, and visitors; its beauty and quality serve as the backdrop for our dynamic educational programs.
