Star Tribune: New park gets a gold star from its first visitors
Linda Mack writes on the Star Tribune website about the opening of a new public-private park in downtown Minneapolis:
»Gold Medal Park, Minneapolis' newest, opened on the Minneapolis riverfront to a snappy wind and rave reviews.«
Tiffany Carlson wheeled to the top of the 32-foot-high mound in the new Gold Medal Park in her motorized wheelchair.
"It's so pretty," she said. "Much simpler than I thought it would be from the outside, but that's the beauty of it."
Minneapolis' newest park opened Wednesday on a Mississippi riverfront site east of the Guthrie Theater that was originally cleared for a proposed Minnesota Twins ballpark. The 7.5 acres of green space surrounds a 350-foot-diameter mound that offers a commanding view of the Mississippi and the new Guthrie.
"It's instant park," said Joe Dowling, the Guthrie's artistic director. A year ago, he said, the scruffy concrete lot was "an open-air carpark."Many places in the world have great theater. Many have great parks. To have the two together is indeed unique," Dowling said.
It took three months to create the park from start to finish, said Dr. William McGuire, former CEO of UnitedHealth Group. The McGuire Park Development Foundation donated the $5 million to build and maintain the park for 10 years on city-owned land. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is not involved.
The park's name is related to the milling history of the area and refers to General Mills' famous flour brand.
Read the entire story on the Star Tribune website.
Visit Oslund and Associates, the park designer, for photographs and design information.