American Planning Association Designates

Rice Park One of Top 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011

Park compliments two national landmarks, Ordway Center

Saint Paul, MN – The American Planning Association (APA) today announced the designation of Rice Park as one of 10 Great Public Spaces for 2011 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners play in creating communities of lasting value.

APA singled out Rice Park as a long-standing place of prominence in the heart of downtown Saint Paul. With its decorative lamps, statuary, benches and center fountain, the park serves as much as a pathway and shortcut as it does a lunch stop, festival grounds and outdoor sanctuary.

“There is no place quite like Rice Park anywhere else in the nation,” said Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. “Nestled among big buildings and a hub of activity, Rice Park gives visitors a sense of calm and a unique ‘green’ retreat not normally found in an urban center. It’s no surprise to us that others have taken notice, and I’m proud that Rice Park has achieved this recognition.”

Through Great Places in America, APA recognizes unique and exemplary streets, neighborhoods, and public spaces – three essential components of all communities. These authentic places have been shaped by forward thinking planning that showcases diverse architectural styles, promotes community involvement and accessibility, and fosters economic opportunity.

APA Great Places offer better choices for where and how people work and live every day. Since APA began Great Places in America in 2007, 50 neighborhoods, 50 streets and 40 public spaces have been designated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“Rice Park’s splendor stems from its simplicity and permanence,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “It provides a visual and physical respite from the impressive collection of buildings and busy street life that surround it. Having undergone several transformations during its 162 years, the park illustrates how planning, with the support of dedicated citizens, can ensure the longevity and vitality of a community treasure,” he added.

Historic and charming, Rice Park is nestled in the heart of Downtown Saint Paul, a short walk from the Mississippi River. Trapezoidal in shape with two diagonal walkways, the park has undergone far-reaching changes since its establishment in 1849, when Minnesota was still a territory. Initially used to hang and dry laundry or graze animals, the park’s first amenities -- a fountain and bandstand -- were added in the 1870s. Electric lights were installed in 1883 for a visit by U.S. President Chester A. Arthur and Generals Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman, who traveled to Saint Paul to recognize the opening of Northern Pacific’s West Coast rail line.

Construction of the historic buildings, museums, and music halls that eventually bordered the park spanned nearly 100 years, starting with the impressive Richardsonian Romanesque Landmark Center (formerly the Federal Building) on 5th Street West. Designed by Willoughby J. Edbrooke, it opened in 1902. The luxury Saint Paul Hotel, built on Market Street, had its first guests in 1910. The Renaissance-styled Saint Paul Central/James J. Hill Reference Library was unveiled in 1917 across from the park on 4th Street West. The last major building erected opposite the park was the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, which opened on Washington Street in 1985.

The park’s most striking feature is the spectacular fountain with an accompanying sculpture, known as “The Source,” by Alonzo Hauser that was installed in 1965. Statues honor prominent residents, including author F. Scott Fitzgerald and Herb Brooks, coach of the gold-medal, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. The whimsical statues of characters from the Peanuts comic strip – including Marcie, Woodstock and Peppermint Patty – pay tribute to another Saint Paul legend, Charles Schulz.

Rice Park has secured its place in Saint Paul’s history books. In 1894, 3,000 workers gathered here to escort the body of a railroad switchman, slain during a bloody strike, to a nearby cemetery. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech here in 1956.

Two planning efforts – in 1883 and 1965 – contributed to Rice Park’s character and evolution from grazing animals to downtown respite. The first plan cemented the park’s role as a significant public space despite pressures to change its purpose. The second followed a period of neglect that threatened both the park and surrounding environs. The park’s restoration triggered the preservation of the Landmark Center, slated for demolition, and the renovation of the Saint Paul Hotel, which moved its main entrance to face the park.

The nine other APA 2011 Great Public Spaces are: Fairmount Park, Riverside, CA; Garden of the Gods Park, Colorado Springs, CO; Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN; Gray's Lake Park, Des Moines, IA; Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Nashville, TN; Fair Park, Dallas, TX; Maymont, Richmond, VA; Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA; and Milwaukee RiverWalk, Milwaukee, WI.

For more information about these public spaces, as well as lists of the 2011 APA 10 Great Neighborhoods and 10 Great Streets, and designations between 2007 and 2010, visit www.planning.org/greatplaces. This year's Great Places in America will be celebrated as part of APA's National Community Planning Month in October 2011; for more about the special month, visit www.planning.org/ncpm.

The American Planning Association is an independent, not-for-profit educational organization that provides leadership in the development of vital communities. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, are dedicated to advancing the art, science and profession of good planning -- physical, economic and social -- so as to create communities that offer better choices for where and how people work and live. Members of APA help create communities of lasting value and encourage civic leaders, business interests and citizens to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit www.planning.org.

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