What is Mill Ruins Park?
Mill Ruins Park is the centerpiece of the revitalization of Minneapolis' historic West Side Milling District. In its 19th-century heyday, this area of mills, canals, tailraces and other historic resources comprised the largest direct-drive waterpowered facility in the world and was the leading international producer of flour, a commodity which was shipped both nationwide and worldwide. This industrial powerhouse was the catalyst for the development of Minneapolis and the birthplace of a number of companies which remain significant to this day, including General Mills, Pillsbury, and Xcel Energy. The park lies within the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and directly adjacent to the 1883 Stone Arch Bridge, a National Historic Engineering Landmark constructed to serve the mills.
The park tells this story through exposing the actual historic walls and waterpower features, long buried beneath many feet of sand and gravel. It is also a wonderful recreational destination on the river with landscaping, picnic areas, and views of the falls and the Stone Arch Bridge. With the reopening of the historic tailrace canal which carried water from the mill turbines back to the river, visitors will have the opportunity to interact directly with an exciting water feature.
The park is also a primary catalyst for the ongoing development of residential and other private and public uses in the Central Riverfront area, including the Minnesota Historical Society's Mill City Museum and the new Guthrie Theater complex.
Is the Park Finished?
Development of the park is planned in four semi-independent phases, each one of which can stand alone as an enjoyable park experience before the others are completed. The first phase of park construction, completed and opened in fall 2001, focuses on the lower tailrace area. This phase included the reopening of the historic tailrace canal, uncovering portions of the historic mill foundation walls, and adding bicycle and pedestrian path links to the Stone Arch Bridge and up-and down-river along West River Parkway. In 2002, the historic features uncovered during the first phase of construction were stabilized and restored.
In 2003, a 650-foot section of West River Parkway, starting at Portland Avenue and heading downstream, was reconstructed with wood plank surfacing as a re-creation of the wood plank decking which once capped the main water inflow canal powering the great mills. For parkway or park visitors on foot, bicycle, or in a vehicle, this reconstructed roadway section provides a unique, interactive historic experience. A bike/pedestrian trail was constructed from the downstream end of the plank area to connect to the existing West River Parkway trail system downstream. This phase also included interpretive signage, lighting, and other site furnishings. Excavation for the project unexpectedly uncovered the buried foundations of two of the flour mills which once stood along the river side of the canal, and these foundations have been stabilized and restored.
Construction is currently underway to complete improvements in the lower tailrace area of the park which were eliminated from earlier construction due to budget constraints. This work focuses on the construction of paths directly flanking the tailrace canal, along with a bridge spanning the inlet end of the tailrace canal to connect the new paths. Portions of the paths will be constructed as a slightly-elevated catwalk, with an metal grating deck and railings on the canal side in consonance with the vocabulary of the bridge itself. These circulation features will bring visitors into close interaction with the tailrace canal and the historic mill foundation walls in its vicinity. Portions of the mill foundations will be dramatically lit for night-time viewing. Additional project components include benches, landscaping, and interpretive signage. The design of these elements will continue the site vocabulary established in the first phases of park construction. Construction will be complete by late November 2005.
Other phases of park development, currently unfunded, will include excavation and restoration of the gatehouse/headrace canal area, where water was brought off the river above the Falls. Also planned is an ongoing archaeological educational laboratory offering to children and adults the opportunity for hands-on involvement in the actual excavation and documentation of the interior portions of the mills now buried in the hillside north of West River Parkway.
