Gold Medal Park was awarded the GOOD DESIGN® Award in early 2024, a prestigious international accolade established by renowned mid-century modern architects Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen. Eames is celebrated for his iconic Eames chair, while Saarinen is known for designing the St. Louis Gateway Arch.
But what is a “good design” in today’s design landscape, especially within the context of public urban spaces? Heavily influenced by big data, design matrices, and insights from social and environmental sciences, the popular opinion is that the term “good” is no longer good enough to capture the essence of an outstanding project; many designers fear it has become too subjective. Instead, jargon like “ecological restoration,” “sustainability,” “green infrastructure” and “blue urbanism” are often piled up in an overly eager attempt to describe excellence in an objective, scientific and widely accepted manner.
To truly understand why Gold Medal Park deserves the title “GOOD DESIGN,” simply take a walk or hop on your bike to visit the site on the eastern edge of downtown Minneapolis and experience it for yourself.
About Gold Medal Park
Gold Medal Park spans approximately 7.5 acres, covering one and a half city blocks just south of the historic Minneapolis Riverfront. Its name derives from Gold Medal Flour produced by adjacent Washburn Mills, now home to the Mill City Museum. Whether you’re attending a show at the nearby Guthrie Theater, enjoying a festival at the Stone Arch Bridge, biking along the West River Parkway or casually strolling around the neighborhood, the park’s lush greenery is hard to miss. It boasts nearly 300 mature trees scattered across open lawns, creating a dense urban canopy. Predominantly native species such as maple, linden and oak adorn the park, showcasing stunning fall colors and offering one of the city’s best spots for autumn foliage viewing.
Once in the park, your eye will naturally be drawn to explore the geometrical mound at its center. The mound, 300 feet in diameter and 30 feet tall, is inspired by the Native American mounds commonly found along the Mississippi River valley. It serves as a symbolic burial ground for our industrial history and a reminder of our environmental consciousness. Due to cost constraints and environmental liabilities, treating or exporting all contaminated soil from the previous railroad and lumber industries is not feasible. The innovative design involves excavating and piling over 100,000 cubic feet of contaminated soil at the mound’s base, encapsulating it with a layer of metal rebars to alert to any future disturbance. Clean soil was then layered on top to support plant growth and safe public interactions.
Following a spiral path, visitors are rewarded with an astonishing panoramic view. To the northeast, you can see the rushing St. Anthony Falls, the full span of the Stone Arch Bridge and the scenic Mississippi River; to the north, the treetops in the park frame the Guthrie Theater with its unique cantilever bridge, with the Mill City Museum grain silos topped by the famous historical “Gold Medal Flour” sign in the background; to the west, the downtown skyline reveals itself. It’s no wonder this berm was named the Observation Mound, as it’s the most popular spot for viewing fireworks on July 4th and during the Aquatennial. Other events such as yoga in the park, summer movie nights and winter snow sliding also stake their claim on the mound.
Art in the Park
From the elevated observation mound, several art pieces within the park stand out, notably a large red steel sculpture named “Molecule” by the renowned sculptor Mark di Souvero. It’s a favorite among children, who enjoy climbing, lying on and sliding down its metal channels like slides in a playground. When their excitement can be contained, they will run up the side of the observation mound and roll down the grassy hill.
The sculpture was previously displayed at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, managed by Walker Art Center. During the garden’s extensive 2016 renovation, which necessitated relocating larger artworks, the landscape architecture firm O2 Design, responsible for both Gold Medal Park and the sculpture garden’s renovation — seized the opportunity to facilitate a unique deal. They brokered an agreement between their previous and current clients to benefit the public, convincing Walker Art Center to lease “Molecule” and three other sculptures to the Gold Medal Park Conservancy for a symbolic fee of one dollar. This arrangement ensures these artworks are available for public enjoyment for the next 99 years.
Intentional Design Decisions
Whether you’re taking a brief rest from cycling along the West River Road, a featured route of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, or enjoying a picnic in the park, the wooden benches scattered throughout provide convenient gathering spots. Upon closer inspection, these custom benches share design elements with the horizontal wood slats found in nearby trash receptacles and screen fences. They are inspired by the historical lumber industry, where wood slabs were commonly stacked several times human height.
These features are further enhanced by lighting that filters through the gaps in the wood slats, casting a lantern-like glow. The blue lights correspond to the light columns at the nearby 35W Bridge Remembrance Garden and the bridge lights for the 35W bridge with its symbolic river sculpture, evoking a poetic, dreamy blue hue along the Minneapolis riverfront.
Middle: 35W Bridge. Right: River Sculpture at the 35W Bridge. Credit: Bryan Lechner (Middle) and O2 Design
Community Impact
The Guthrie Theater and Gold Medal Park were among the first to anchor the historic Mill District revitalization. Through the late 20th century, this area was characterized by vacant commercial and industrial buildings and blacktop parking lots, with almost no residential population. Following the park’s establishment, the area became highly desirable for living and recreation, prompting developers to rush in and build condominiums and apartments around the park. Over the past 18 years, developments such as Encore, Forte on the Park, Saint Anthony Mills, Vicinity, Mill District City Club, as well as condos like Zenith, Bridgewater, Legacy, Stonebridge, Park Avenue Lofts, Metropolitan Lofts and the most recent Eleven on the River have transformed the landscape and dramatically increased the population density of this part of downtown.
Today, the Mill District boasts nearly 1,500 housing units and a residential population exceeding 2,200 (according to 2020 Census data). As a site for early morning runs, leisurely afternoon, dog walks, weekend family picnics and special festival gatherings, Gold Medal Park has become an integral part of bustling urban life.
On this late summer night, as I lie on the sloped lawns of the observation mound under the blue sky, I see people around me smiling and having fun. A feeling emerges in my heart that can simply be described as “good.” Though the journey to achieve this sense of goodness through design can be sophisticated, it shouldn’t hinder people’s ability to experience a space. Ultimately, the public’s experience is arguably the best — and perhaps the only — criterion for defining “good design.” Good design distills the best nature has to offer and uses a creative, thoughtful and complex process to create spaces that are simple, artistic, elegant, memorable and impactful.