New color for Bandshell likely Slate Blue; design and construction contract will be consider by Park Commissioners November 30
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is renovating the Lake Harriet Bandshell area in 2023. The primary focus of the project is replacing the cedar wood roof shingles on the Bandshell and nearby buildings.
A construction contract for the renovation project with Ebert Construction will be considered MPRB Commissioners at their Nov. 30, 2022 meeting. See Resolution 2022-331 for details.
History
Lakeside entertainment at Lake Harriet has been a part of the Minneapolis park system since 1888, but the venue has changed quite a bit throughout the decades. The current Bandshell building opened in 1986. Four previous Bandshell buildings preceded it – two lost to fire, one to storm, and one torn down after serving as a “temporary structure” for more than 50 years.
The current Bandshell area has been significantly altered or renovated at least three times already. It was originally brown, then it was painted blue when the concessions buildings were built in 1989-1990, then it was painted brown again during the last major renovation in 2004.
Shingle Replacement
The Bandshell roof is covered in cedar shingles that were painted with a material comprised of heavier, film-forming solids. This paint hampered the natural cedar shingles’ ability to breathe and accelerated the rotting and wear seen today.
The new cedar shingles will be hand-dipped in a newer, more advanced product – an oil-based, breathable stain much better suited for wood. Breathable stains create a more natural look with lighter tint, instead of the more opaque, solid color of a heavier paint.
Design Team and Process
This project’s design team included staff from the MPRB Paint Shop, Planning, and Marketing Departments, along with architects from Bentz Thompson Reito, the firm that originally designed the current Bandshell. The design team evaluated two basic color options – brown and blue – and many iterations of colors under those two options, since exact original colors are unknown.
New Color
It’s not possible to recreate the solid blue displayed in the 1990s and early 2000s while also using best materials to maximize the new cedar shingles’ longevity, so the design team decided on an updated version of the blue bandshell color. This new color, called Slate Blue, blends the natural look of the cedar shingles with the bolder blue people remember. Bandshell siding is still in good condition, so it will be preserved and painted to complement the Slate Blue color of roof.
Cedar shingles are a natural product that will weather differently than the siding because they are more exposed to the elements. The new Bandshell will not display a perfect color match between roof and siding due to uneven weathering of materials, but cedar tends to gray with age, which the design team believes will complement the grayish blue hue of Slate Blue.