MIDTOWN CONSERVATORY

This proposal has two main goals:

Bring access to nature to the Midtown Community.

Become a community hub and landmark that will spur community led growth and development.

The existing KMart building has been a blockade for the retail corridor on Nicollet and Lake, but opening it and keeping strategic portions of the building provides unique structure for outdoor community events, such as Farmer’s Markets, Movies in the Park, Concerts, Food Truck Festivals, Art and Craft Fairs, Bike Training Events, and more. Remnants of the existing CMU walls become canvases for murals painted by local artists, promoting community ownership and engagement.

Nestled around the existing structure, Midtown Conservatory provides greenhouse spaces for the four Minnesota Biomes: Prairie, Deciduous Forest, Coniferous Forest, and Tallgrass Aspen. This is a place of refuge and contemplation, as well as a learning environment for local schools. A “Touch and See” Learning Lab adjacent to the greenhouses is an ideal teaching space for children as well as being a base of operations for the greenhouses. A raised seating space near the entry is ideal for either a pop up cafe or serving space for a food truck.

The southern half of the site is a new Midtown Park, and it provides space for a reflecting pool, a lawn, seating, community gardens, and recreation. The eastern side of the park also has a raised berm to view the skyline of Minneapolis to the north, as seen below.