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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Somali Museum Buys $2.3 Million Minneapolis Building for Permanent Cultural Center
The organization plans to expand beyond its current location as founder Osman Ali works to preserve a collection of roughly 1,500 artifacts documenting Somali culture and history.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 3, 2026) The Somali Museum & Cultural Center has purchased a $2.3 million building in Minneapolis as the organization moves toward establishing a larger permanent home for one of North America's most significant collections devoted to Somali culture.
The organization acquired the property at 3430 University Ave. SE.
The purchase represents a major expansion for an institution that has spent more than a decade preserving Somali art, history and traditions in a state with one of the largest Somali populations in the United States.
Museum founder Osman Ali has assembled approximately 1,500 artifacts over the years.
The collection includes objects reflecting Somali pastoral life, domestic traditions, art, craftsmanship and cultural practices.
Ali has described preservation as particularly important for younger Somali Americans who may have grown up thousands of miles from the places where those traditions originated.
The museum currently operates from space at 2925 Chicago Ave. in Minneapolis.
Its mission extends beyond displaying artifacts.
Programming includes cultural performances, workshops, storytelling, dance and other activities intended to connect generations while introducing Somali culture to visitors from outside the community.
The organization describes itself as North America's only Somali-focused museum.
Acquiring a permanent building could allow the museum to expand exhibitions, programming, storage and educational activities beyond what is possible in its existing space.
The project also carries broader significance for Minneapolis.
Minnesota's Somali community has become an important part of the state's cultural, economic and civic life during the past several decades.
A permanent museum provides a physical institution through which that history can be preserved and interpreted by the community itself.
The University Avenue property will now become the focus of the organization's plans for a larger cultural center.
The acquisition marks an important transition from collecting and preserving Somali heritage to building a permanent institution capable of carrying that work into another generation.
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