Gold Medal Park, Minneapolis, MN
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What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities September 18-19, 2021, Features Free Expert-led Tours of Parks, Gardens, and Open Spaces

Part of a nationwide program that reveals the stories of places that are part of our daily lives

Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2021) – The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) announces What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities, September 18-19, 2021, featuring free, expert-led tours of each city’s parks, gardens, landscapes and open spaces.  These tours enable people to discover the design history of places they may pass every day but don’t necessarily know about. Expert guides provide rich stories, personal anecdotes, and keen observations about each site, landscape architecture, city shaping, and garden design. The Twin Cities’ landscape legacy includes myriad parks and plazas, cultural institutions, and historic sites and neighborhoods, including Rondo Commemorative Memorial, Indian Mounds Regional Park, and Nicollet Mall and Peavey Plaza. TCLF will produce a print What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities guidebook about most of the tour sites that will be available for purchase and free as a downloadable PDF.  TCLF is also creating an ever-growing digital What’s Out There Twin Cities guide that TCLF will maintain in perpetuity.

Research gathered for the tours will have a long-lasting legacy, becoming part of TCLF’s permanent What’s Out There database of more than 2,300 sites across the country. The GPS-enabled database is a go-to resource for everyone from schoolchildren to scholars seeking trustworthy online information. 

NOTE: All events will be subject to local guidelines on gatherings, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and stay-at-home orders. Attendance is limited, not only to maximize the safety of those attending but to promote an intimate learning experience. If this event needs to be postponed to comply with local ordinances, registrants will be notified directly.

TOUR SCHEDULE – All tours are free, but attendance is limited and registration is required.

SATURDAY, September 18

  • University of Minnesota – The Knoll, Scholars Walk, Northrop Mall | led by Elizabeth Gales (Hess Roise), Vera Westrum-Ostrum (University of Minnesota), Andrew Caddock (University of Minnesota), Frank Edgerton Martin (Frank Edgerton Martin LLC) - 8:30-10:30 AM 
  • U.S. Bank Stadium, Arches, The Commons, U.S. Federal Courthouse, Hennepin County Government Center | led by Chuck Evens (Damon Farber) - 8:30-10:30 AM
  • United Cities Bike Tour | led by Richard Arey (Friends of the Saint Paul Parks and Trails) - 9:00 AM- 12:00 NOON
  • Skateable Art Plaza, 26th Avenue Overlook, Farview Park | led Satoko Muratake (TEN x TEN), Andy Schilling (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board), Dani Duque (Ryan Company), Kristen Murray (Juxtaposition Arts), James Garrett (4RM+ULA) - 10:00 AM- 12:00 NOON
  • Lakewood Cemetery | led by Paul Aarested (Director of Buildings and Grounds) + Ross Altheimer (TEN x TEN) – 10:30 AM-12:00 NOON
  • East Bank – Nicollet Island Pavilion, Water Power Park, St. Anthony Falls (Owamni), Father Hennepin Bluff Park, Mississippi Riverfront Regional Park, Stone Arch Bridge | led by  Charlene Roise, Historian (Hess, Roise and Company) Ann Calvert, Planner (Former Principal Project Coordinator at Minneapolis Community Planning & Economic Development), Ted Tucker, Resident Story Teller (Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood), Julie Aldrich, Landscape Architect (Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board), Ken Grieshaber, Landscape Architect (SRF Consulting Group) -11:30 AM-1:30 PM 
  • Nicollet Mall and Peavey Plaza | led by Laura Kamin-Lyndgaard (Coen + Partners, Inc.), Shane Coen (Coen + Partners, Inc.), Peter Brown (University of Minnesota), Tamara Ludt (New History) or Megan Elliot, David Wilson (Green Minneapolis), Erin Hannifin-Berg (Rethos) – 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
  • Minnehaha Falls (Mnigaga), Coldwater Spring (Mni Owe Sni) | led by Kate Beane (Minnesota Historical Society), Iyekiyapiwin Darlene St. Clair (University of Minnesota and St. Cloud State University, and Maura Rockcastle (TEN x TEN) - 1:00-3:00 PM
  • Theodore Wirth Regional Park, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, Trailhead | led by Andrea Weber (Minnesota Department of Transportation), Tyler Pederson (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board) – 1:00-3:00 PM
  • West Bank – Water Works, Mill Ruins Park, Repurposing the Upper Lock, Stone Arch Bridge, Gold Medal Park | led by Kate Lamers (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board), Bruce Chamberlain (HKGi), Tom Evers (Minneapolis Parks Foundation), Jean Garbarini (Damon Farber), Kjersti Monson (Duval Companies), Mark Andrew (GreenMark Enterprises LLC), John Anfinson (National Park Service), Mary Lynn Pulsher (Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board), Han Zhang (O2) - 2:30-4:30 PM 

SUNDAY September 19

  • Kellogg Mall, Raspberry Island/River Overlook, Harriet Island | led by Tim Griffin (Minnesota Design Center) - 9:00-10:30 AM
  • Capitol, Capitol Memorials | led by Theodore Lee (HGA), Paul Mandell (Capitol Area Architecture Planning Board, retired) – 9:00-11:00 AM
  • Indian Mounds Regional Park, Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary | led by Ellen Stewart (City of Saint Paul), Ramona Kitto Stately (We Are Still Here - MN) - 9:00-11:00 AM
  • Rice Park, Landmark Plaza, Irvine Park, Upper Landing Park | led by Amy Mino (Minnesota Landmarks), Anne Gardner (City of Saint Paul), Elyse Jensen (Historic Irvine Park Association), Carol Carey (Historic Saint Paul) – 12:00-1:30PM
  • Western Sculpture Park, Aurora St. Anthony Peace Sanctuary Garden, Rondo Commemorative Plaza | led by Nathan Johnson (4RM+ULA) – 12:00-2:00 PM
  • Como Park, Conservatory, Japanese Garden | led by Bruce Jacobson (Bruce Jacobson Landscape Architecture), Michelle Furrer (Como Zoo and Conservatory), Bob Lunning (Lunning Wende Associates) - 12:00-2:00 PM
  • Loring Greenway, Loring Park, Walker Art Center Wuertle Upper Garden, Sculpture Garden | led by Tadd Kreun (O2), Dana Murdoch (University of Minnesota) – 1:00-3:00 PM

What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities dovetails with TCLF’s web-based What’s Out There, the nation’s most comprehensive searchable database of historic designed landscapes. The database currently features more than 2,300 sites, 12,000 images, and 1,100 designer profiles. What’s Out There is optimized for iPhones and similar handheld devices, and includes What’s Nearby, a GPS-enabled feature that locates all landscapes within a given distance, customizable by mileage or walking time. 

“There is an abundance of great cultural landscapes throughout the Twin Cities,” said TCLF president and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum.  “We’re pleased to collaborate with the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and other local partners in organizing the What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities tours and in the creation of new print and online guides.”

What’s Out There Weekend Twin Cities is made possible by Lead Sponsors the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscapes Architects, National Endowment for the Arts, Green Minneapolis, David Wilson & Michael Peterman; Presenting Sponsors, Landmark Center, Rice Park Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Minnesota Historical Society, Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment; and additional Supporting Sponsors and Friends.

About The Cultural Landscape Foundation

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1998 with a mission of “connecting people to places.” TCLF educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards. Through its website, publishing, lectures and other events, TCLF broadens support and understanding for cultural landscapes. TCLF is also home to the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.