More Welcoming for More Minnesotans: Minnesota State Capitol Mall Design Framework

The Minnesota State Capitol and grounds, a historical architectural legacy originally designed by Cass Gilbert, sit upon Wabasha Hill with sweeping views of downtown St. Paul and the Mississippi River Valley. Carved out of an existing neighborhood in the late 1800s, the area has seen subsequent rounds of urban renewal and infrastructure development, which have left it disconnected from the urban fabric and struggling with devoid of activity. Home to 10,000 state employees and host to major civic demonstrations, this site also suffers from a lack of cohesion and basic amenities.

Building off the Cass Gilbert Capitol Plan in 1903 and the Minnesota State Capitol Area 2040 Comprehensive Plan in 2021, the State of Minnesota’s Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) selected a multidisciplinary design team to reimagine the State of Minnesota Capitol District through the creation of the Capitol Mall Design Framework. The Framework effort extensively engages stakeholders and communities, and crafts a 21st-century vision for the Capitol Mall Area.

A True Democratic Vision

The framework centered on an inclusive engagement process that was “high touch and far reach,” gathering over 14,000 responses from across the state. Outreach extended to community members from African American, Indigenous American, Hmong, Latinx, and Somali communities, with materials provided in five languages. The approach emphasized meeting people where they are, both locally—through pop-ups at LRT stations and the Capitol—and statewide, using familiar media channels and languages that resonate with diverse communities. By removing barriers and ensuring access to technical information, the framework prioritizes broad, accessible, and effective engagement.

Beyond numbers, the design team also facilitated conversations around complex topics that cut across walks of life, including a four-day charrette involving voices from all sectors, including elected officials and food truck vendors to nearby residents and CAAPB board members. A listen-draw-review process ensured all topics were thoroughly discussed, and the design moves were collaboratively created and advocated for by stakeholders and communities. Eight “Design Moves” emerged from this engagement process, forming the foundation of the final vision plan and reflecting a shared commitment to creating a democratic and welcoming space for all:

• Enhance User Experience
• Reinvigorate Nodes
• Right-size the Roads
• Sculpt Topography for Security, Accessibility, and Programming
• Introduce a New Structure for Commemoration
• Celebrate Water
• Ecology-driven and Climate-ready Planting Strategy
• Bring New Uses to the Area by Reimagining Cass Gilbert Park

A New Structure for Commemoration

The Capitol Mall area is a historical district with complex context and recorded archaeological sites. Parallel to the design framework, the team worked with CAAPB to conduct a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) to identify opportunities and challenges within the existing landscape and develop preservation strategies. The CLR paved the way for the Design Framework to preserve the existing heritage and historical structure while addressing the need for programmatic interventions including new park programs, site security, and ADA compliance.

The Framework creates a new structure for commemoration through a simple design move—a Cultural Walk that links various community points of interest, including a Democracy Stage for First Amendment rights and a space for History and Reverence that highlights commemorative works not currently represented on the Capitol Mall. A pilot project of the Cultural Walk is transforming Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a four-lane road dividing Upper and Lower Mall, into a community-shared street (MLK Shared Street) that serves as a linear plaza for both events and daily uses and features special pavement designed with the community. This Cultural Walk creates a collective historical narrative, representing Minnesota’s cultural diversity across the past, present, and future in a multilayered strategy.

A Place for All Who Come to Live, Work, Learn, and Play

The Capitol Mall Area currently lacks a sense of place due to insufficient daily amenities such as food and beverages, oversized infrastructure, and vehicle-dominated roads. A series of eight “Design Moves” has been proposed to address these issues and create a more inviting space for all Minnesotans.

The Framework reinvigorates a variety of nodes that serve as arrival points to the Capitol, creating a vibrant and welcoming public realm at each entrance for those arriving via pathways, transit or car. User Experience will be enhanced through three distinct interventions—digital infrastructure, a visitor center, and amenity guidelines—which will help foster an inclusive sense of place. Right-sizing some existing roads after careful traffic analysis will invite the community to the district and connect the vibrant nodes by improving pedestrian and bike paths, promoting public transit stops and lanes, and increasing tree canopy coverage. Sculpting Topography and strategically concentrating platforms throughout the Upper and Lower Mall will improve accessibility, integrate security seamlessly, and provide a range of event spaces in different sizes. Introducing new programs, such as destination play spaces and event centers in public areas like a reimagined Cass Gilbert Park, will attract more visitors. These comprehensive design moves provide layers of strategies to transform the Capitol Mall Area into a vibrant space where people come to live, work, learn, and play.

A Climate-Ready Landscape Informed by Ethnobotany

Historically, this site is part of a significant natural habitat along the Mississippi Flyway with a rich natural heritage predating settlement. However, more than 80% of the Capitol Mall Area’s current landscape is dominated by lawns, which are increasingly threatened by a rapidly warming climate. Informed by Dakota Ethnobotany, the Framework introduces a diverse planting palette that is site-specific and promotes biodiversity. The selection of climate-ready species is based on projected climate changes in Minnesota, and will also help increase carbon sequestration. A thermal comfort analysis, visualizing comfortable zones for before and after the intervention, guides the placement of over 1,900 new shaded trees. Moreover, the framework integrates green stormwater infrastructure along streetscapes and within green spaces to manage the runoff that currently drains untreated into the Mississippi River. This ecological and green infrastructure design sets a critical foundation for sustainable maintenance practices and will be functional and resilient for the next 100 years.

Building Towards Comprehensive Implementation

The Framework serves not only as a visionary blueprint but also as a practical guide for CAAPB and stakeholders to systematically turn vision into reality. It outlines roles and responsibilities within an ”actor” dictionary, detailing who is accountable for funding, implementing, and supporting initiatives, and considers whether a conservancy model is necessary. A series of next steps, including developing a financial model, conducting archaeological studies, and establishing a parking and existing user database, will strengthen both short- and long-term implementation plans. The first phase focuses on the MLK shared street and select improvements in the Upper and Lower Mall, including a Tribal Nation Flag Plaza that features 11 Tribal Nations in Minnesota, setting the stage for a unique Capitol ground that is More Welcoming for More Minnesotans.