Germanic American Institute

The Germanic-American Institute's predecessor, the Volksfest Association of Minnesota, was established in 1957 as a collaborative group of Germanic clubs, celebrating Minnesota's statehood centennial in public festivities. By selling bonds and a range of volunteer fundraising efforts, the organization purchased the Summit Avenue Haus for $60, 000 in 1965, and refurbished it to meet the requirements of a Kulturhaus for social and cultural gatherings. In the early 1990s, the organization changed its name to the Germanic-American Institute (GAI) to reflect the changing demographics and focus of the organization.