Update: Imagine the Mississippi

Jul 2010

By Karen Cilento — Filed under: Urban Design , Mississippi, University of Minnesota

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Spirit Island Void Interior

A few days ago, we shared a sampling of projects from the Imagine the Mississippi initiative, where a group of undergraduate students from the University of Minnesota have tackled the challenge of re-inventing the character of the waterfront. While the proposals we previously featured include a new pool/aquarium combination and a spot to experience the waterfall up close and personal, today’s featured proposals offer four new visions for the Mississippi.

Check out five more proposals after the break.

One take on the St. Anthony Falls area includes incorporating a meditative void where visitors can experience a natural memorial space. The void serves as a scar to remember where the island (fragments of rock left behind when the falls receded) once stood before the Army Corps of Engineers removed its remnants in the 1960s. The void will enclose visitors in a close and meditative space, surrounding by the roaring river’s waters.

Spirit Island Void Section

Spirit Island Void Plan

Spirit Island Void Interior

Another idea features a terraced thermal spa with three different bodies of water at different temperatures. Visitors can come and bathe in total relaxation while enjoying their proximity to the falls.

Spa Section

Spa Plan

Spa Night View

Spa Day View

One proposal looks to Minneapolis’ past in milling and proposes to excavate the remaining foundations in Mill Ruins Park and reopen the canal as a market street and pedestrian mall. In this new street, visitors can stroll along the old tail race tunnels under the mills and access the ruins directly through the wall of the canal. Visitors will be able to picnic and rest in grassy lawns tucked within the exposed ruins.

Mill Ruins Section

Mill Ruins Plan

Mill Ruins Pedestrian Bridge

Mill Ruins Canal View

Another combined proposal looks at the Silo Bakery and Market as a nod to the area’s milling industry which powered turbines responsible for the grinding of flour. Constructed by carving volumes into the silos, the bakery is envisioned as more of an educational facility that will demonstrate every step of the baking process: grinding the flour, mixing, baking and eating.

Silo Bakery Section

Silo Bakery Plan

Silo Bakery Interior

Silo Bakery Exterior

This idea is combined with vision to salvage the historic Silos which are currently slated for demolition. Carving out the inner silos, a flexible space will adequately support a market space for year-round vendors. Illumination and structural support will be afforded through day lit “shafts” that pierce the façade of the building to gather daylight. At the lowest level, replacing the concrete foundation wall with a glass façade will allow for fluid access to a proposed pedestrian shopping street that will run through the site.