Public Art Proposed For West End In Golden Valley

Press release from the City of Golden Valley:

July 14, 2020

A new public art installation is proposed for the parking ramp in Central Park West, located at the West End off of I-394 and Xenia Ave. Drawing inspiration from the area’s history as Lilac Way, initial concepts moved from screening and murals on the ramp walls to the three dimensional features of a destination sculpture. Goals included a design that reflects all of the population and engages with park visitors.

Proposed Central Park West sculpture (elevation view)

The result is a sculpture that spells “WE” to represent togetherness as a community, the border between Golden Valley and St Louis Park, and West End. Flanking the sculpture are three-dimensional 18-inch-wide benches that spell Golden Valley and St Louis Park in 24-inch-deep letters and allow for physical engagement. These fabricated steel or aluminum structures will have powder coat finishes in a stylized lilac pattern.

Installation is planned for fall 2020, with a community engagement day planned for spring 2021.

Background

Proposed Central Park West sculpture (park view)

Central Park West includes an 11-story office building, (in St Louis Park), a 164-room apartment building (in St Louis Park and Golden Valley), and a seven-story parking ramp (in Golden Valley), all surrounding a centrally located park area. The Excelsior Group and Ryan Companies completed construction on the apartments in 2017. The office building and parking ramp are still under construction and should be open in 2021.

As part of the development agreement, The Excelsior Group was required to install art on the parking ramp and provide ongoing maintenance after using a public input process to select the art. Community members from St Louis Park and Golden Valley formed an art committee that met three times from late 2019 through early 2020 to provide input on design direction, review concept options, and discuss an enhanced final concept.

Public Art In Golden Valley

All public art must meet criteria outlined in the City’s Public Art Policy. Learn more here.

This press release was produced by the City of Golden Valley. The views expressed here are the author’s own.