In the past several years, HKGi provided design and planning leadership for major improvements to Oxbow Nature Center and Zollman Zoo. Initially, HKGi developed a park master plan for Oxbow Regional Park and four other Olmsted County parks, and was subsequently retained to lead a design team on one of the key implementation initiatives for Oxbow Regional Park: a new visitors center and other site improvements to Oxbow Nature Center.

HKGi worked with the County and its stakeholders to explore concept alternatives for siting the new visitors center, constructing new parking and dropoff facilities, and identifying additional site and landscape improvements to enhance the overall visitor experience of the zoo and nature center entrance plaza. The HKGi team delivered construction cost estimates for each concept, along with revenue and operations and maintenance cost estimates, which enabled County leaders to understand potential budgetary impacts during the decision-making process.

Once a preferred concept was identified, our team continued to engage staff and stakeholders as the design was refined. Site details include distinctive pergolas that reflect architectural details from the zoo and a Swedish-inspired fence that functions both to enclose the zoo and create a welcoming entry experience for the park’s new nature center. One of Oxbow Park’s former attractions was the Hellickson House, an 1850 log home of local Swedish immigrants. In studying traditional Swedish agrarian landscapes, we drew inspiration from their roundpole fences, or gärdsgårdar, utilizing Southeastern Minnesota limestone, locally-harvested cedar logs, and steel support columns to create a sturdy, sustainable, one-of-a-kind fence. HKGi’s landscape architects also designed a play area at the entrance plaza that used reclaimed boulders from site excavation.

This project received a Merit Award in 2025 from AIA-Minneapolis. View the awards page to learn more: https://www.aia-mn.org/mpls-merit-2025/