Friends of the Falls was founded in February 2016 by Paul Reyelts and Mark Wilson as a 501c(3) public non-profit, seeking to transform the Upper Lock at the Falls into a community gathering place, restoring public access to the river.
Friends of the Falls recognized the need to broaden project engagement and put the missing narrative of Indigenous history at the forefront. Early visualizations of the project have been set aside to create space for the untold stories of this site and develop a true shared vision for Owámniyomni, the Falls.
Friends of the Falls, along with the City of Minneapolis, the Native American Community Development Institute, and a broad coalition of stakeholders, envisions a future site that reflects the truthful story of the Central Riverfront as Dakota land, while recognizing the national significance of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and the Mississippi River.
Congress suspended navigation at the Upper Lock of St. Anthony Falls Lock in the Water Resources Development Act of 2014, closing it to commercial barge navigation in 2015. Shortly after the Congressional action, both the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board’s plan, Changing Relationship to the Power of the Falls, and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board’s Central Riverfront Regional Park Master Plan, recommended that the site of the Upper Lock become a visitor center. The concept took root and was supported by later plans adopted by Meet Minneapolis (Destination Transformation 2030) and the National Parks Conservation Association (Transforming the Lock). Additional emphasis on the riverfront as an iconic community asset can be found in the City of Minneapolis’ Downtown Public Realm Framework Plan and Minneapolis Downtown Council’s Intersections: Downtown 2025 plan. The City approved reuse of the Upper Lock in keeping with the community’s vision in 2018 with Resolution 2018R-098 (by Johnson).
The Falls will serve as a recreational and cultural hub that at last makes our river the center of the community rather than its edge. It will contribute to civic and state identity and lead to a more connected and inclusive riverfront.
Though we have generous riverfront parkland, there are still very few moments where the river and the city come together in a way that achieves an authentic sense of connectivity. The Falls will be one of those moments. The Falls can deliver new access to the Mississippi for fishing, hiking and boating, as well as outdoor learning, events and celebrations, and peaceful enjoyment of the river.
Design and programming will shine a light on Native American history and experience, and a resilient Native culture that has produced important contemporary voices in the arts, literature, business, planning, and government.
