What is The ARC?
Owned by the City of Winona, The ARC was built as a Masonic Lodge in 1909 by the Winona Masonic Benevolent Association. The building was sold to the City of Winona in 1979, where the first floor of the building became the home of the Winona Friendship Center. The Masons retained use of the spaces on the second and third floor until 2017. Shortly after the Masons relocated to their new space in the 900 block of West 5th Street, the City of Winona began the process of restoring some of the historic drops and upgrading the lighting and rigging system.
Like many gathering places, The ARC (previously the Masonic Lodge and then the Friendship Center) had to be closed to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the City of Winona completed a massive project to update the HVAC system in the building. Previously, there was no central cooling system, making the upper floors nearly uninhabitable during the summer months. While the HVAC project was being completed, the City made plans to relocate the Friendship Center and receive proposals for management of the the building as an arts space. Additionally, the Creative Winona Commission began a public input process to rename the building.
With suggestions from the community, City of Winona staff and the Creative Winona Commission selected the name “The ARC”, with A-R-C as an acronym for Arts, Recreation and Culture. The building now serves as a place for arts, culture and recreation activities to happen and for community members to gather.
The ARC is managed by the staff of Great River Shakespeare Festival, who have partnered with several “resident orgs” (other non-profits who have ongoing storage and/or office space in the building) and event renters (non-profits who host occasional events throughout the year). The ARC will serve as the home for Great River Shakespeare Festival rehearsals, shops and performances beginning in summer of 2026.
Parking
Located in the heart of downtown Winona, The ARC is easy to locate at the intersection of Main and 5th Streets. There is ample street parking, including accessible parking spots right up next to the building. Please note that parking spots with a time limit are NOT timed in the evenings and on the weekends. See the map below for the locations of all FREE City of Winona parking lots in the downtown area.
Looking ahead…
Thanks to a grant from the Mardag Foundation, the City of Winona was able to work with Shelter Architecture to study the space available at The ARC and envision what is possible for this beautiful historic building. The images below are renderings of what some of the public spaces in the building could look like with some investment from the community. If you are interested in contributing to the ARC Improvement Fund, please click the link below and use the drop-down menu at the top of the form to select “ARC Improvement Fund”. All donations in the ARC Improvement Fund will be used for modifying and updating spaces in the building. Some top priorities include a new flexible riser system, new theater chairs, and an elevator near the Main Street entrance to take patrons from the first floor lobby/Box Office area up to the main lobby and theater.
Use the arrows on the right or left side of each image to click through the drawings. These represent options for what The ARC could look like in the future.
This conceptual image by Shelter Architecture shows a view of the ticket office with the 5th Street entrance (left) and the Main Street entrance (right). A new elevator (just inside the Main Street entrance) accompanies the opened existing stairwell. Entrance to the first floor community space is at the far left of the image.
These concept images by Shelter Architecture show two potential set ups for the large gathering room on the first floor. A grid of lighting positions provides maximum flexibility for the space, from a dining room, cabaret or black box theater to a dance hall, film or large meeting venue, tai chi or yoga studio, the possibilities are endless. Beyond the sound insulated back wall would be a scenery and prop shop serving the production needs of the performing companies.
Openings to the far left of the pictures lead to a commercial kitchen that supports the venue’s concessions and beverage service as well as catering, culinary classes, and pop-up restaurants
The flat floor of the main performance space provides maximum flexibility. Portable staging, audience risers, and seating makes the space function in traditional proscenium seating, three-quarter thrust seating (pictured), or with everything removed for large banquets, dances, weddings, and more.
Whether experiencing a play, film, reading, or concert, the audience is one with the artists in this intimate space. Even balcony seating feels connected.
At the back of the balcony, a technical booth provides stage management, lighting, and sound technicians an unobstructed view of the stage.