Minneapolis Sculpture Garden & Walker Art Center

[seanrichardryan]

Well, considering the Cowles have both died...

[Wedgeguy]

Well, considering the Cowles have both died...

There is still the family that can have a say in it.

[Nathan]

F--- me.

lol... I see what you did there.

[jennifat]

WHAT. If it was widely known that this was actually happening, the public would be outraged.

The conservatory is one of the best things about the sculpture garden. Why does everything turn to sh*t in this city? A banquet facility!? Unbelievable.

[Aville_37]

How about a restaurant? Like in other parks...

[seanrichardryan]

Here's the RFP that was due in July-

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/documen ... 6-2014.pdf

[grant1simons2]

Tomorrow the board will likely approve the plan for the community advisory committee for the Sculpture garden and Cowles renovation. Applications will be due November 27th and decided by December before the first meeting of course. The plan is to have the conceptual design for the park to be released by February and construction to begin in July.

Sidenote: The waterworks plan is being presented to the MPRB tomorrow as well

[TroyGBiv]

How about a restaurant? Like in other parks...

Like Tavern on the Green. Could be nice but I would hate to lose the plants and sculpture during the winter. I wish that they would change out the plantings in the conservatory... it was getting a little tired.

[John]

How about a restaurant? Like in other parks...

Like Tavern on the Green. Could be nice but I would hate to lose the plants and sculpture during the winter. I wish that they would change out the plantings in the conservatory... it was getting a little tired.

You both have an excellent idea! Makes the Sculpture Garden even more of an interesting destination with a unique restaurant in the spirit of Tavern on the Green.

[sean]

Survey from the park board about this renovation closes today. Just heard about it this morning myself.

http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=1502

Also some meetings listed on there. The fist CAC meeting is on the 10th.

[Nathan]

http://www.startribune.com/local/blogs/289931251.html

[grant1simons2]

Along with the Walker hosting some of the Sculptures during the construction, Gold Medal Plaza will be as well!

http://millcitytimes.com/news/gold-meda ... tures.html

[seanrichardryan]

Why isn't Loring park taking a few?

[grant1simons2]

$75 million dollar renovation to the entrance and landscaping around the Walker Art Center

http://www.startribune.com/entertainmen ... 20171.html

[TommyT]

It certainly needs it. That main entrance is so uninspiring.

[twincitizen]

On the east side, the concrete and granite plazas along Hennepin will be replaced by grassy berms, flowering trees and sidewalks.

http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/o ... 810863.jpg
This image shows the north end of the bottleneck-facing side. I'd love to see a top-down plan view of what they propose along Hennepin there. With the amount of crap that gets kicked up from cars (dirt, salt, trash, hubcaps, etc.) I actually wouldn't be opposed to a granite kneewall* separating the sidewalk from the bottleneck area.

The sidewalk in the above image is way too exposed to bottleneck traffic. A few feet of grass boulevard and a couple saplings aren't going to cut it. There should be some real separation between that surface freeway (even after reconstruction, it still will be) and the sidewalk there. In fact, it would not be a terrible idea for there to be a southbound bike facility here as well.

[Google search informs me that "kneewall" is not the correct architectural term for what I am thinking of. What is the correct word to describe a series of granite blocks approximately knee-height?]

[Nathan]

Freestanding landscape wall.

[Lancestar2]

It certainly needs it. That main entrance is so uninspiring.

So ture! I was walking past the center just the other day and thought to myself, I am NOT inspired. Such a traumatic experience, clearly we need this building redesigned to inspire the community to... to ... be so much more, indeed!

[jennifat]

I'm definitely not in love with the new landscaping, particularly at the main entrance. It looks ruthlessly cheap and suburban. Berms? Ugh. Why.

This corner is the most visible side of the museum and the gateway to one of the biggest attractions in the Twin Cities paired with the Sculpture Garden. When passersby approach the area, it should be obvious that they're outside one of the premier modern art museums in the country, and not an urgent care clinic in Coon Rapids.

[grant1simons2]

$23 million isn't ruthlessly cheap. And seriously calling things like berms being suburban is just dull.