Families, visitors to benefit at Munsinger and Clemens Gardens along scenic Mississippi River
St. Cloud, Minn. – Central Minnesota’s iconic gardens along the Mississippi River are getting a major enhancement, with a striking peacock enclosure to enrich St. Cloud’s most scenic area.
“The Munsinger and Clemens Gardens are the jewel of St. Cloud. Improving the peacock enclosure will only enhance the sparkle,” said Penny White, President of the Friends of the Garden advisory council of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation. “This is an opportunity to make an extraordinarily special place for families, children, and visitors to St. Cloud.”
The dramatic plans to upgrade the Gardens’ existing peacock display and surrounding facilities were designed by JLG Architects. The improvements will replace a dilapidated peacock enclosure and inefficient maintenance buildings. The project has been designed to greatly improve the existing facilities. It will optimize the experience for both the visitor and the Garden staff. Visitors will have a beautiful peacock enclosure, enchanting play area, improved river sightlines, and better overall flow between spaces. Garden staff will find greater functionality and ease of use in the maintenance space, peacock enclosure, and bathrooms. (Concept images below of proposed facilities.)
Improvements include:
- Replacing the current open-air peacock pen with living quarters that will include running water, temperature control, and better conditions for the birds, who can be viewed free of charge by the public year-round;
- Adding a children’s play area that compliments the surrounding area and features a peacock mural;
- Expanding and upgrading the existing restroom and storage structure, while honoring the surrounding beauty;
- Expanded vistas will give visitors a dramatically better visual connection with the Mississippi River and uninterrupted contact with adjacent parking.
Fundraising for the private-public partnership project with the City of St. Cloud will begin immediately, with construction projected to start in 2023.
Fun Facts: A peacock is a male peafowl. The female is a peahen. They may beget peachicks. The Gardens have a peacock and three peahens.
The Friends of the Gardens in an initiative through the Central Minnesota Community Foundation. The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to over $147.6 million in assets and awarded over $134.5 million in grants to non-profits. The CMCF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a collaborative of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 900 funds totaling nearly $201 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/CentralMN.
