Two RiverFirst Projects Open in Minneapolis
By Chris Hudson | May 27, 2021
4RM+ULA’s James Garrett Jr. and Ten x Ten’s Satoko Muratake speak at the Overlook media event on May 11. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
SPOTLIGHT
In May, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minneapolis Parks Foundation unveiled two new riverfront spaces: the 26th Avenue North Overlook in North Minneapolis, and Water Works park in the Mill District. Both projects are a part of the RiverFirst initiative, which is slowly transforming the underutilized Mississippi riverfront stretching north from the Stone Arch Bridge to the city limits with new, interconnected parks and trails.
The 26th Avenue North Overlook suspends visitors over the river bank below. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
The Overlook, an inviting oval-shaped platform with a canted, 35-foot-tall beacon at its center, extends the recently completed off-street trails along 26th Avenue North to the river. Together, the trails and the Overlook create a new connection for the Hawthorne neighborhood, where a heavily industrialized riverfront had previously been a barrier. Designed by 4RM+ULA and Ten x Ten, the arrival space features play netting around the base of the beacon and a railing with metal artwork designed by Juxtaposition Arts teens and implemented by local artist and designer Sam Ero-Phillips.
Elevated view of Water Works from the west/northwest. Rendering by Damon Farber.
The 2.8-acre Water Works at Mill Ruins Park includes a pavilion, a plaza, and tiered green spaces for river viewing, event seating, and recreation. Landscape architects Damon Farber designed the park for multiple uses, integration with historic mill remnants, and advanced stormwater management. This summer, The Sioux Chef will open Owámni in the two-story pavilion, a new brick structure by HGA built into the ruins of the Bassett and Columbia mills. Water Works will also soon add Dakota art and interpretive elements throughout the site, including a public art installation supported by the City of Minneapolis.
The Overlook project team included the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, Ten x Ten, 4RM+ULA, Sheehy Construction, Schuler Shook, Mattson Macdonald Young, Salas O’Brien, EOR, CPMI, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, and Juxtaposition Arts.
The Water Works project team included the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, The Sioux Chef, Damon Farber, HGA, H+U Construction, Barr Engineering, MacDonald & Mack Architects, Kimley-Horn, Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, and 106 Group.
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