The new Visitors Center at Itasca State Park opened in the Fall of 2001. The 14,300 square foot facility serves as the primary information and education center for the park. It provides the visitor with exhibits, educational programs, travel information and amenities, a year-round trail center, and a souvenir shop. The structure reflects the "rustic" style architecture of the existing historic CCC and WPA structures in the park, incorporating heavy timber construction, conventional wood framing, and structural insulated panels. Significant efforts have been made to integrate environmentally sensitive building materials and technologies in the facility with an emphasis on bio-composite building products.
The Wolfe Park Pavilion in St. Louis Park serves as a multi-purpose support facility for the park. The design was inspired by the existing veterans' memorial within the park. The concept conveys a sense of permanence and history while providing amenities for the park. Structural insulated panels and 2x6 wall construction contribute to an extremely well-insulated and air tight building. Recycled content materials were used and low VOC finishes were selected for their impact on indoor air quality. Large expanses of glass and a clerstory provide for a strong connection to the outdoors. Two picnic shelters and a play area are also part of the project.
This project is the result of a feasibility study commissioned earlier to the firm which studied options for remodeling or replacing an existing community center. A final scheme was selected by the design team based on its ability to best meet the needs of the neighborhood. The team was comprised of a committee of community representatives, two commissioners from the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the design professionals. The existing facility is being replaced with a new building which includes a gathering space and warming room with fireplace, two multipurpose rooms, an arts and crafts space, a kitchen, an office with reception area, and restrooms.
This new music facility grew out of an open design process involving a 33 member advisory committee. The committee was composed of people representing a variety of interests including use, aesthetics and the protection of the neighborhood from excessive noise, parking and crowds. The band shell provides a stage to accommodate groups as large as a full orchestra or chamber orchestra with choir. Since residential areas are immediately adjacent to the site, the audience capacity has been limited to a formal arrangement of 900 seats. Careful siting of the building assures good sight lines for the audience and projection of sound away from the neighboring homes.
LAKE
HARRIET REFECTORY
Designed
in a style similar to the adjacent Lake Harriet Band Shell, the refectory
houses a concession area, storage, rest rooms and a covered area which
can be used by ice skaters for warming during the winter. A terrace on
the lakeside provides an area for casual eating and relaxation. Pedestrian
and bicycle traffic is diverted behind the band shell seating area. The
refectory is the second phase of the master plan for the Lake Harriet
Band Shell area.
This facility is one of several new architectural components designed by Bentz / Thompson / Rietow for the new Minnehaha Park Master Plan. The structure accommodates a variety of musical and dramatic performances which take place in this popular Minneapolis park each summer. The structure takes its architectural cues from an existing refectory by complementing its roof profile and palate of materials. The new 30 foot by 30 foot performance structure incorporates a stone base, cast stone columns and a hemlock timberframe accented by a copper finial and trim. Sited in a grove of oak trees near Minnehaha Falls, the facility was completed in the summer of 1998. Frederick Bentz / Milo Thompson / Robert Rietow, Inc. is an architectural consultant to Sanders Wacker, Inc. Landscape Architects and Planners.
PEARL
PARK NEIGHBORHOOD RECREATION CENTER
The
challenge of this small neighborhood center was to more than double the
square footage of the building and break with its existing style, designed
in the 1960s, while blending the new and existing volumes into a pleasing
form. The solution adds a new gymnasium, meeting room and multipurpose
space to the existing building's floor plan. New sight lines from the
reception area improve supervision of recreational activities. The design
envelopes the original building with a gently pitched roof and broad overhangs
to minimize the height of the building and relate it to the residential
character surrounding Pearl Park. Windows in the formerly blank southern
facade open to views of adjacent playgrounds and Diamond Lake.
The Hyland Park Reserve contains 1,000 acres of park land bordered by three lakes in suburban Bloomington, Minnesota. The project was designed to be the centerpiece of this recreational area and serve as the hub of an extensive skiing, hiking and biking trail system. Because the Reserve is particularly popular during the winter, the building emphasizes its winter functions while remaining a viable all-season facility. The plan includes a multipurpose classroom/lounge with fireplace, snack bar, staff offices, outdoor decks, a rental station to store and distribute ski equipment in the winter and bicycles during the summer, and ample storage space for off-season rental equipment.
