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Whittier, Minneapolis — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Whittier is a cultural district of Minneapolis, home ground of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the American Swedish Institute.
About Whittier
Where to stay in Whittier
Each area has its own feel; here's who each one suits.
Whittier is a dense residential quarter of Minneapolis rather than a hotel strip, so beds inside its blocks are scarce. Most visitors stay in the wider city and come across for the galleries and the churches. The draw is culture.
Anchor a day around the Minneapolis Institute of Art, then walk to the American Swedish Institute and the Hennepin History Museum, all set among the district's houses and church spires.
About Whittier
What are the main landmarks in Whittier?
The Minneapolis Institute of Art gives Whittier its anchor, a broad museum drawing visitors across the district. Close by, the American Swedish Institute occupies a turreted mansion, and the Hennepin History Museum keeps the county's record. Churches shape the streets too.
The Minneapolis Scottish Rite Temple, Gethsemane Episcopal Church and the Church of Saint Stephen rise among the blocks, while the George Floyd memorial site draws its own steady stream of visitors.
What is the history of Whittier?
Whittier dates to 1849, among the earliest ground platted as Minneapolis grew southward from the river. Grand houses followed. The Amos B. Coe House and the Bennett-McBride House survive from the era when merchants built along its avenues, and the Lena O. Smith House later marked the home of a pioneering civil-rights lawyer.
Sport left its own mark here. Nicollet Park stood in the district for decades as the city's ballfield before the houses and museums came to define it.
Where is Whittier?
Whittier is a compact inner district of Minneapolis, its grid of blocks laid out south of the city centre around the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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Updated July 2026