The Minnesota China Friendship Garden Society has unveiled sweeping new conceptual plans for a Chinese garden at Phalen Park. Bearing a projected construction pricetag of $7 million, the design is ambitious.
In November, two landscape architects from Changsha, China toured the Twin Cities for ideas and met with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.The renderings include new and modified walking trails as well as a relocated bicycle path north of Picnic Island and Phalen Channel. They also include a new arch bridge connected to the island, a pagoda-like lakeside pavilion and a Hmong cultural plaza. Changsha is the ancestral homeland of the Hmong.
The garden society is working closely with St. Paul Parks and Recreation on the concept plans, though no public funding has been requested.
“When we were first thinking about this concept, we were really focused in on the pavilion, with a pricetag around $1 million,” said Linda Mealey-Lohmann, a co-founder of the garden society. “Once the (architects) came here, and actually saw the site, they really realized all the potential the site had.”
She said the project could be tackled in three phases, and funded by large and small individual and corporate donations, as well as state Legacy funds.
The society plans to fundraise for construction, which likely would be completed in phases.
The society is also planning a Minneapolis garden, in Washburn-Fair Oaks Park, across from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The park would celebrate Minneapolis’ sister city relationship with Harbin, China.
For more information, visit http://mnchinagarden.org.
Copyright 2016 Pioneer Press.
