The project is nested between the town of Hibbing, Minnesota to the south and on the precipice of the active Hull Rust and Hibbing Taconite Open Pit Mine to the north. Here, the project acts as a focal point between these two mutually dependent entities. Perched on top of the Boeing Stockpile (a decades old manmade mountain consisting of overburden removed during the mining process), the project functions primarily as a distributed park and visitors’ center strewn throughout the stockpile’s plateau and ring roads. The extraordinary vantages from this plateau afford views across the Mesabi Iron Range, allowing for an experience unlike any other in the region.
Phase I of the project establishes the Upper Park and consists of earthworks and observation lookouts made from precast industrial concrete units that frame both historic mining artifacts and views to the city, mine, and across the Mesabi Iron Range. The distribution of elements and three framed views were carefully chosen in order to amplify the experience of the site in relationship to its context. Additionally, these experiences and curated moments centrally focus local and regional moments surrounding the site, while establishing a dialogue between the past and present forces that have shaped this unique place.
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