Project Spotlight: Winona Levee Park – River and City Windows

About the Park

Levee Park has served as the historic gateway to Winona, Minnesota, since the city’s founding as a Mississippi River port. Recently, the park underwent a significant multi-million dollar redesign to reconnect the downtown district with the riverfront, creating a modern recreation space that honors its industrial roots. As part of this revitalization, the park features public art installations that serve as a “front door” to the community, celebrating the unique intersection of the city’s urban identity and the natural beauty of the Mississippi River valley.

Our Work

Our team designed and installed a series of illuminated stained glass windows gifted to the City of Winona. These installations were engineered to act as a symbolic and physical threshold between the city streets and the river’s edge.

A Threshold Experience The design utilizes a sophisticated layered approach to imagery, creating a different visual experience depending on a visitor’s direction of travel:

• River Life: Visitors entering the park from the city are greeted by vibrant depictions of Mississippi River aquatic life, symbolizing the transition into the natural world.
• Land and City: For those returning toward the downtown area, the reverse side of the glass features local flora and fauna, echoing the terrestrial landscape of the Winona community.
• Continuous Narrative: This dual-perspective design ensures the artwork remains dynamic and engaging, acting as a living bridge between two distinct environments.

Illumination and Durability To ensure the artwork remains a focal point regardless of the hour or season, the windows are integrated with a custom illumination system:

• Nighttime Presence: The internal lighting allows the colors and textures of the glass to glow after sunset, providing a safe and inviting atmosphere for park visitors in the evening.
• Protective Engineering: Given the park’s exposed location along the river, the glass is shielded by a high-durability protective system. This ensures the artisan craftsmanship is preserved against the elements and maintains its clarity for years to come.

This installation represents a unique fusion of public art and landscape architecture, weaving the community’s environmental heritage into the fabric of the redesigned park.

Resource

Winona Post: Winona celebrates a redesigned Levee Park