Breaking ground at the July Building a Better Arboretum event. Photo: Lily Smith
The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s new entrance is part of a multiphase plan to enhance visitor experience.
On July 30, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum broke ground on what is set to be a multiyear project to renovate the main entrances and overall site experience. The construction of a new entry corridor will be overseen by landscape architecture firm Micheal Van Valkenburg Associates. “I see our role as expanding access to that beauty through thoughtful design,” says Matthew Girard of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. “The hope is that the new routes will feel effortless and intuitive, as if they were always meant to be here.”
Along with its functional purpose, the entrance will take visitors through new paths, exposing them to the vast landscapes, topography and wetlands the area has to offer. “We were very intentional in designing the slope, the roads, the curves [and] the landscaping to ensure people are slowing down and taking in the long, expansive views,” says Rachelle Crosby, Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan director of facilities and project management. “We want to create an experience and immerse them in nature as soon as they turn off the highway.”
At the other end of the arboretum, the current Apple House is being replaced by Betty’s Apple House. Named after longtime supporter Betty MacMillian, the house will be closer to the Farm at the Arb with free entry to the public. Its entrance also features a redesigned route with scenic views visitors can enjoy on their way to the learning center. Expanded education offerings will include the history and science behind the University of Minnesota’s (U of M) fruit breeding research program, which gave rise to the beloved Honeycrisp apple (among a bushelful of others). The site will also feature local- and U of M-made products, such as ice cream.
The arboretum will remain open to its thousands of annual visitors during construction. The first phase of construction is set to finish in 2027. Other phases will improve parking, internal vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow and building-entry landscapes.
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Instagram: @mn_arboretum
