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Image: Cuningham Group

Progress

  • Not started
  • Planning
  • In process
  • Completed
Late

The Wakan Tipi Center building started construction in 2024 and is scheduled to open in October 2025.

Description

The Mission of the Wakan Tipi Center is to serve as an intergenerational gathering place that honors Wakan Tipi and the maka paha as Dakota sacred sites. The project will connect people to the landscape through immersive experiences in Dakota history, lifeways, language, and values. The building will feature an exhibit hall, classroom, ceremony & community gathering area, and teaching kitchen to showcase and expand the value of the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary as a place for cultural healing, life-long learning, and inspiration. Sustainable efforts a geothermal energy system for heating and cooling of the building and preparation for a future roof-top solar array.

Construction of this project is happening in multiple phases. The first phase, utility installation and site grading, began in the summer of 2022 and was completed in early 2023. The second phase consists of construction of the Wakan Tipi Center building and temporary site access. Building construction is anticipated to take 10-months with a public opening in the fall 2025. The third and final phase includes the construction of a permanent parking lot and improved site access and will begin following the reconstruction of the Kellogg/3rd Street Bridge adjacent to the site.

Additional project information can be found at the website of our project partner, The Lower Phalen Creek Project, Wakan Tipi Center — Lower Phalen Creek Project

Tasks

What are we doing?

  • Todo10/25/2025

    Wakan Tipi Center Building Construction

    Construction of the Wakan Tipi Center building began in Summer 2024.

What has been done?

  • Done12/22/2023

    Complete Earthwork and Utilities in Preparation for Building Construction

    The first phase of construction, earthwork and utility installation, began at the end of summer 2022 and completed in late 2023.

Summary and contacts

Timeline

8/24/2018 → 10/30/2025

Responsible organizations

  • The City of Saint Paul is partnering with the Lower Phalen Creek Project.

Contact persons

  • Christopher Stark
    City of Saint Paul
Information updated 03/21/2025