Cultural resource work continues this winter, open house planned for spring 2026
In August, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) published three design concepts for the Hiawatha Links project, the next step in advancing the long-term plan for Hiawatha Golf Course and surrounding parkland.
Following that open house and the Hiawatha Links design team’s initial inventory and analysis, it was apparent additional cultural resource work was needed to better understand the broader historic, natural, and cultural context of the project site. The team worked in collaboration with the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to develop a process for documenting the additional cultural resource data and incorporate the findings into the schematic design.
Over the last several months, additional cultural resource information was developed and assembled into a draft set of documents, which builds upon the National Register of Historic Places designation research. The work centers on additional cultural resource studies that more fully articulate:
- The site’s recommended historic significance as a Traditional Cultural Place (TCP)
- Describing the cultural landscape’s historical and current conditions
- Providing recommendations for the project’s architectural and site design
Next Steps
Currently, SHPO is reviewing the additional cultural resource documentation. Following that review, the design team will work to incorporate SHPO’s recommendations into the draft 30% schematic design. The draft 30% schematic design will then go through a SHPO Environmental Review process prior to being released for publication and public review at the third open house in spring 2026.
The current work of the design team and subsequent review by SHPO is to comply with the State’s Historic Preservation Act. Additional cultural and historical reviews will be necessary when the project is federalized, including concurrence with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Project History
Hiawatha Golf Course suffered four major floods in the last 75 years. After the last major flood, in 2014, the MPRB was informed it was pumping more than 240 million gallons of groundwater annually to keep the course dry, without a permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
MPRB Commissioners voted to approve resolutions that directed staff to develop an ecologically-driven plan that reduces groundwater pumping and creates a more flood-resilient golf course.
Three concept designs that follow the direction provided by MPRB Commissioners were published in August 2025. The designs were created through years of analysis and design, dozens of public meetings, specialized focus groups, and discussion with a wide range of stakeholders.