Building History and Use
For decades, the Coon Rapids Dam area offered visitors direct access to the Mississippi River, but not much else outside of that. Amenities were limited, interpretive infrastructure was minimal, and the river’s ecological and cultural significance had no clear home base from which to be explored and understood.
In 2017, Three Rivers Park District and the City of Brooklyn Park launched a community-driven planning process to change that. The vision was a unified regional destination centered on the Mississippi River, anchored by a new visitor and education facility that could serve as both a physical and symbolic gateway to the river and the ecosystems surrounding it.
Rather than retrofitting aging structures, the project partners chose to invest in a purpose-built facility designed from the ground up to support education, programming, and year-round public use. The result is the Gateway Center, a 15,000-square-foot visitor and learning hub that anchors Mississippi Gateway Regional Park and provides a welcoming starting point for exploration of the river and its surrounding landscape.
The fully redeveloped park and Gateway Center officially opened to the public on September 6, 2025, following several years of phased construction and site improvements.
Why Geothermal?
From the beginning, the Gateway Center was designed as a long-term public asset with sustainability at its core. Given its state funding, the project also carried a B3 Guidelines requirement, which set a defined standard for energy efficiency the design team was driven to meet.
The design team prioritized strategies that would reduce energy demand while delivering a comfortable, durable facility. Passive daylighting minimizes lighting loads and enhances the visitor experience throughout the building. For heating and cooling, the Darcy groundwater geothermal system was selected to provide efficient, low-impact temperature control within a compact footprint, which was an important consideration given the ecological sensitivity of the site.
Together, these strategies position the Gateway Center on a pathway toward net-zero energy performance, supporting long-term operational efficiency while reinforcing the park’s core educational message about natural systems and resource conservation.
Design and Construction
Design development and construction of the Gateway Center unfolded as part of a larger, multi-year park redevelopment effort. Community master planning kicked off in 2017, followed by formal construction in July 2019, focusing first on foundational park infrastructure such as site grading, utility installation, and realignment of trails and parking to support future vertical development.
An official groundbreaking on June 14, 2023, marked the start of construction on the Gateway Center building, alongside major park features including the elevated Treetop Trail, nature-based play areas, and expanded trail connections throughout the site.
After nearly a decade of planning and phased construction, the fully redeveloped Mississippi Gateway Regional Park opened on September 6, 2025.
A Facility Built for the Future
The Gateway Center represents a public commitment to environmental education, community access, and stewardship of one of the country’s most significant natural corridors. By combining thoughtful architecture, geothermal-powered efficient systems, and immersive learning spaces that connect the indoors to the surrounding landscape, the facility is built to serve visitors of all ages for generations to come.
