Uniting Minnetrista: Creating a Community Space for the Everday ALEXANDRA HOLT
STUDIO PROFESSORS: PETER ELLERY & JOHN MOTLOCH
Location
Project Information Minnetrista Cultural Center has become an integral part of the historical and environmental communities in Muncie since its development in 1988. The founding stems from the original houses that remain on the site and land donations to the community by the Ball Brothers. Because of its nonprofit nature, many programmatic elements are disconnected from each other and not developed to their fullest potential. Although Minnetrista consists of unique programs, such as a permaculture initiative, it lacks a fully unified campus and identity that bridges it to the surrounding areas. Redesigning Minnetrista with the ideals that have become apart of the 21st century created a campus that maintains certain existing aspects and features while improving upon connectivity, cohesion, sustainability, safety, and education. This project focused on a redesign of Minnetrista’s grounds by improving connectivity between event spaces, historic houses, gardens, the White River, and buildings that unite the values and identity associated with Minnetrista and build bridges to the Muncie community. Utilizing and enhancing existing features with the creation of new elements will created a mosaic of historic and cultural aspects that attracts new visitors but maintains current levels of occupation. Ensuring the entire site became a unified campus was the main focus along with establishing a safe, educational network that promotes sustainability and the core values of Minnetrista. By practicing environmentally conscious design decisions, the entire campus became a learning tool for sustainability and a precedent for future park design in Muncie.
History Centennial Avenue Delaware County Fairgrounds
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Galliard Avenue and those south of the White River. Minnetrista currently sits on the edge of this schism and could become an important part of bridging the gap and uniting the Muncie community.
Beginnings Minnetrista’s site has been a natural gathering space for people for over 10,000 years. It is located on high ground alongside a major river that provided nutrients, transportation, and protection. The Delaware Indians first took up residence in 8000 B.C. and remained until 1830 when the area had then been purchased in 1818 by Rebecca Hackley, daughter of Little Turtle. (Fig. 4.2) In 1830, the property was sold to Gilbertgoldsmith, an original founder of Muncie. Initially the site was used as a lime kiln, but a children’s home was constructed on the site in 1890 and remained until the current home was built in 1906. (Fig. 4.3)
Muncie
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Muncie Central High School
Inventory & Analysis
Minnetrista Shortly after Frank Ball’s house burned down in 1967, the land and the mansions were donated to the city of Muncie to be used as a cultural center. The cultural center opened in 1988 and was initially an art, cultural, and community center but slowly became more focused on the Ball family heritage. (Fig. 4.6) Minnetrista is a term originally coined by Frances & Lucina Ball shortly after moving to Muncie. ‘Minne’ comes from a Native American language meaning water and ‘trista’ comes from Englsih meaning a gathering place. Since it’s opening, Minnetrista has become an enormous asset to the community. Events and festivals on their grounds have become traditions residents look forward to year after year. Even with the community involvement, Minnetrista still has an elitist stigma associated with it throughout Muncie. Through programs and partnerships within the city the perception has changed slightly. This change of thought can also be seen in the demographics. Over the years the crosssection of users has become greater but encouraging ethnic and lower-level residents to participate has been difficult.
Ball Family The Ball family’s glass factory was moved to Muncie in the 1880’s during the Natural Gas Boom. In 1894, after encouragement from their mother to purchase land for the entire family, Frank Ball purchased the site and had his home built in 1895. His brothers soon followed, building their mansions between the 1890’s and early 1900’s. This became the start of an economic schism in Muncie. As the Ball family’s generosity spread throughout Muncie, it was generally focused on the underdeveloped portion north west of the White River. (Fig 4.3 - 4.5) As time went on, this part of Muncie was solely associated with the wealthy residents in town and that not all were welcome.The divide created then still exists between Ball State University and the business on Mc-
Master Plan
Physical & Cultural Connections
Design Elements
Community Connections The site has historical ties to many places surrounding it including Ball State University, Minnetrista Neighborhood and the hospital. While cultural connections connect the site to different parts of Muncie, any physical representation of the history woven throughout the town are missing. These are especially lacking in regards to the university, fairgrounds, high school, and river.
Centennial Avenue
Minnetrista Neighborhood Delaware County Fairgrounds
Ball State
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Minnetrista Neighborhood
Proposed Arboretum Designed by Christine Johnson
White River
Muncie Central High School
14 Walnut Avenue
Existing Conditions Minnetrista has a diverse program that has developed with the community and its needs. Parts of the site that were originally planned are mostly in the central campus portion and consist of the following:
Downtown
- Cultural center - Catalyst statue - Orchard Shop - Event lawn - Apple orchard - Greensward
Existing Zones
Permeability
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Centennial Avenue
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Change one-way street direction
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Make street more pedestrian friendly Medians, sidewalks, bike lanes
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Bus stop and new entrance design
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Walkway above utility drive and terraces
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Outdoor plaza and glass gallery space
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Pedestrian bridge over White River Boat dock, lookout
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Entrance and fence removal
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New stage area and topography
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Enlarged market space Indoor market
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Greenhouses, compost, and storage area DIY greenhouses
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Orchard
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Living street and expansion for market
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Nature center and horticulture office
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New entrance, restrooms, and storage
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Sidewalk and street enhancement
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Boat dock
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Facilities
Gardens
Proposed Site Expansions
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Proposed Signage
N Walnut Ave
Muncie Central High School
Centennial Ave
Delaware County Fairgrounds l hee NW ing
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Entrance Color Garden
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Formal Ceremony Garden
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Rose Garden
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Bird and Butterfly garden
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Sensory Garden
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Rain Garden
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Native Garden
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Terraced Gardens
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Agriculture Area Gradens Backyard Garden Herb Garden Small Space Garden Permaculture Garden Four Seasons Garden
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Trial Garden
Ave
Locust St
Ball State
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Muncie Central High School
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Historic Homes
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Main Campus
Delaware County Fairgrounds
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Other aspects of Minnetrista are fairly new and many of the gardens have been updated and changed as time has went on. A newer addition is the naturalized area. What used to be a rock quarry has been revitalized into several habitats. Minnetrista is also surrounded by land and homes that appear to be within its boundaries but they do not yet own but are looking into purchasing. These include two of the Ball houses, houses along St. Joseph street and Walnut Avenue, along with a battery store in the far northeastern portion of the nature area.
Walnut Av
Natural Area
Expanded Farmer’s Market Plaza
MENTOR: CINDY MCHONE
W Neely Ave
N Walnut Ave
Muncie Central High School
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Legend Entry Point
Downtown
Entrance/Welcome Sign Info f rmation Sign fo
Pedestrian Bridge and Boat Ramp
Column Bus Stop Entrance
Roadways Roads had a major part of updating the site to the ideals of the 21st century. Currently, the roads and sidewalks tend to be hostile to cyclists and pedestrians and do not provide a separation between them and vehicles. Improvements to the streets were not solely based within the site but extend past the site’s boundaries and into the community. This is one way to improve connectivity throughout Muncie and help establish this area as a corridor system.
Minnetrista Blvd.
Historic Houses
Living St.
10’ Roadway
Centennial Ave.
5’ Sidewalk
5’ Planter
5’ Sidewalk
White River Bank
Reside Residential Area
5’ Sidewalk
2’-6” Planter
20’ Roadway
2’-6” Planter
5’ Sidewalk
Minnetrista Nature Area
Wheeling Ave.
Terrace Gardens and Utility Drive
Apple Orchard
10’ Parking Lane
20’ Roadway
10’ Parking Lane
Neely Ave.
8’ Bike Lane
5’ Planter
7’ Sidewalk
Natural Area
5’ Bike Lane
5’ Planter
20’ Roadway
5’ Planter
5’ Bike Lane
Minnetrista Pkwy.
8’ Parking Lane
20’ Roadway
8’ Parking Lane
5’ Planter
5’ Sidewalk
Delaware County Fairgrounds
7’ Sidewalk
5’ 2’ Bike Lane Planter
10’ Roadway
8’ Median
10’ Roadway
LA 404 FIFTH-YEAR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT DESIGN 2016
2’ 5’ Planter Bike Lane
7’ Sidewalk
Minnetrista Orchard
7’ Sidewalk