Submitted photo Anne Makepeace, who revived the building now housing The Grand, is retiring as executive director of The Grand but will remain involved with its cellar press.

NEW ULM — In November 2000, Anne Makepeace rescued the old Grand Hotel building and began renovating it into The Grand Center for Arts and Culture.

Now 21 years later, Makepeace is retiring as the Grand’s executive director at the end of May. She is leaving behind an important artistic legacy.

In the Grand’s April newsletter, Makepeace said The Grand had become like a child to her, complete with labor and pains, slips and falls, and set-backs — and now the joy of seeing it grow and mature.

Makepeace originally bought The Grand building after learning an ancestor had previously owned it. Her great-great-great-grandfather Phillip H. Gross owned the hotel. Makepeace said he was one of the few family members who came to Minnesota as most remained in Milwaukee.

When first acquiring the building, Makepeace had no idea The Grand would become an art center.

“I knew I wanted it to be a public building,” Makepeace said, but she was unsure what purpose the old building would serve in New Ulm.

After holding community meetings and seeking input, many realized New Ulm was without an art center. Makepeace said other communities the same size as New Ulm had art centers and was a reasonable fit.

Renovation of The Grand took time and it took time to turn The Grand into a non-profit arts center, but it became Makepeace’s life work. This involved creating a board of directors for The Grand. Four years, ago the board of directors asked Makepeace to become the executive director.

Despite being a driving force behind the creation of the art center, Makepeace said she never intended to be The Grand’s executive director. She always considered herself a chief volunteer but was happy to let others take on the executive work. However, in 2017 The Grand’s board of directors asked Makepeace to take on the position.

In her tenure as executive director, Makepeace was proud of what was accomplished. She was pleased the board shared her vision for the art center.

In the last four years, The Grand added an artisan gift shop, developed an artist-in-residence and Air BNB apartment, added children’s and youth arts programs, including summer camps, created the Smallest MUSEUM in Minnesota, and built a cellar press.

Makepeace said there were also several small, behind-the-scenes changes that made a difference, including computer automating the gift shop and offering online registration for art classes.

“We’re in great shape now,” Makepeace said, and for this reason, she is able to retire, confident the art center will thrive.

“We have the right people here,” Makepeace said. After her retirement, Charlie Leftridge will take over as the new executive director for The Grand. Tamara Furth will continue as the marketing, communication and program manager. Makepeace is confident in the staff’s ability to grow The Grand, saying “Charlie Leftridge is doing a great job and Tamara Furth is wonderful.”

Leftridge said it is a thrill to become The Grand’s new executive director because of what Makepeace managed to build from the ground up. He said there are few people more committed to the arts and community building than Makepeace.

She is retiring from the executive director position, but will not be saying goodbye to The Grand. She will continue as volunteer manager of the cellar press, in The Grand’s basement. Leftridge said he was excited Makepeace would continue to volunteer at the cellar press. “No one knows the ins and outs of the cellar press like her,” he said.

The cellar press began operating in 2019, but unfortunately, the pandemic slowed its growth. Makepeace will focus her creative efforts on helping it grow like the rest of the art center.