26TH AVENUE NORTH OVERLOOK

The construction of I-94 in the 1950’s created a barrier that physically disconnected the communities of North Minneapolis from the Mississippi River. Fifty years later, the highway and industrialized rivers’ edge continue to prevent and limit access to one of the city’s most beloved natural amenities. With the recent completion of the 26th Avenue North Greenway, a critical missing link in MPRB’s Grand Rounds now links Theodore Wirth Parkway, and the Jordan and Willard Hay Neighborhoods to the river.

The overlook is perched 25’ above the shoreline with views to downtown and up river, providing an opportunity to create a new riverfront amenity where neighbors, bikers and tourists alike have a space to see, sense and occupy the river’s edge. Through several strategic design moves such as a 50’ tall beacon, an overlook with playful seating elements, a gathering space, native planting and shoreline restoration, the project provides a highly visible destination on the river that draws and welcomes the community to this place for the first time in over half a century.

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Client: Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board

Status: Completed in 2021

Team: TEN x TEN, 4RM+ULA, Juxtaposition Arts, Mattson Macdonald Young, EOR, MEP Associates, Schuler Shook

Slideshow Photos: Morgan Sheff Photography

Our approach tapped into the dynamics of the Mississippi River (its power, flows, habitats, mist and ice) and creates a place that both feeds and draws from the vibrancy of the North Minneapolis community itself. Our team was carefully crafted to co-create the concept through a collaboration with 4RM+ULA and local youth apprentices from Juxtaposition Arts, along with lighting, engineering and ecology experts. 4RM+ULA and Juxtaposition Arts have a long history of working with North Minneapolis community to provide youth education and entrepreneurship through arts and design. Together the team designed an interactive and visitor-centered overlook that remains sensitive to the site’s magic - the industrial heritage, river dynamics, floodplain forest, migratory birds, fish, North Minneapolis culture and the arts.

The overlook itself is shaped like a spoon, designed to create an experience that operates not as a terminus, but as a loop that also pulls people back into the neighborhood. The overlook has public art integrated into the railings (designed by apprentices at Juxtaposition Arts) and a play net feature for informal seating in the center. There is a gathering lawn, enhanced native plantings, benches and bio-engineering slope stabilization to restore the degraded riverbank. This critical pivot point between the North Minneapolis neighborhoods and the river is now a key interchange for riverfront trails that connect Ole Olson Park, the BNSF bridge and north to the Lowry bridge to the rest of the Grand Rounds trail system. MPRB partnered with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation (MPF) on this important RiverFirst project.