On Oct. 25, 2018, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) staff, Northeast Minneapolis neighbors and Sheridan Memorial park supporters joined in a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the beginning of construction on a host of new amenities coming to the park in 2019.
The Sheridan Memorial Park Improvements project features a new playground, picnic shelter, basketball court and playable art, along with benches, a drinking fountain, portable toilets and path connections. This fall construction crews will perform site work like grading and paving to set the stage for installation of all the new park structures in 2019.
“It’s exciting to see so much progress happening along the riverfront,” said MPRB Superintendent Mary Merrill. “We’re grateful for the long list of resourceful, determined partners who helped make this project happen.”
Merrill spoke during the ceremony, along with MPRB District 1 Commissioner Chris Meyer and George Puzak, whose family donated riverfront land to help create Sheridan Memorial Park.
Project History
In April 2015 the MPRB received a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership project to develop recreation facilities at Sheridan Memorial Park. The grant was matched with $1 million from Minnesota Parks and Trails Legacy Funding, administered by the Metropolitan Council.
Community engagement in 2016 and 2017 helped decide which improvements were chosen for the park and how those improvements were designed. Project work was bid in 2018 and construction will occur fall 2018-summer 2019.
Park History
A grand opening celebration for the Sheridan Veterans Memorial occurred on June 28, 2014 after nearly 20 years of planning, fundraising and environmental remediation. Read more of the park’s fascinating backstory on the MPRB website: Sheridan Memorial Park History
Currently the park centers on a large spherical sculpture of protective shields created by local artist Robert Smart. The sculpture is surrounded with quotes about peace engraved into granite and vertical markers describing the ten conflicts in which Minnesotans have served. Smart imbued the steel and granite markers with faces of veterans cast in iron.
In 2016 the Mississippi East Bank Trail opened. The two-way, off-street, lighted riverfront trail runs through the park.