East of the Arch

Here are my ideas for the east side of the river.  The basic ideas of agriculture and a large spheical viewing platform are inspired by the PWP team's arch design concept, but I think I have a better plan.

The Globe. This is the main attraction. It's the top third of a sphere. The base is 500 ft in diameter, and it's about 175 ft tall. It's not a sealed building with a waterproof roof, but an outdoor structure made of steel beams, supporting terraces of planting boxes all the way around and up to the peak. It's planted with dark green plants for land and blueish plants for seas to form the majority of the western hemisphere. A good precedent for a terraced structure like this is the roof of the Japanese building ACROS Fukuoka.

There should be a viewing platform at the top of the dome. You would feel like you were on top of the world, and the views would be great. To get there, I'd love to see staircases on the globe surface itself, like ACROS Fukuoka has. There should be some mechanical way up as well. The most practical way would probably be an elevator shaft up the center of the dome. Another possibility would be gondolas like the ones on Stockholm's Ericsson Globe.

Why a globe? It sets the stage for the story of westward expansion. Hard surfaces could be attached on the underside of the globe for the land masses, and they could painted to show how much territory was settled, how much had been explored, and how much was still unknown before Lewis and Clarke's expedition. This would show how far settlement into the western hemisphere had reached, and how much potential remained at the time. Small building(s) could also be built inside the globe to house other exhibits examining the history of settlement in the western hemisphere up to 1804.

Wheat Fields. Golden wheat provides contrast to the green globe, and compliments the grain elevators nicely so they don't seem so out-of-place.

Roads. The thick gray lines are roads. Trendley is rerouted to the south edges of the grounds, along the rail lines. New roads at the north-east complete a loop all of the way around the site. The space between the geyser and the railroad looks tight, so that may have to be a narrow one-way road.

Hiking/Biking trail. The red line is a hiking/biking trail along the river's edge.

Sidewalks. The thick beige lines are sidewalks. They go all the way around the globe and the geyser pond, which would act as a great reflecting pool for the globe when the geyser is not erupting. There is also the start of a circle around the grain elevators. If and when Cargill vacates the site, they can be repurposed as another main attraction like an ag and food museum, and the sidewalk circle can be completed.

Overlook and Dock. There is a new overlook in beige on the rivers edge at about the height of the flood wall. Beneath it is a new dock for a water taxi. Ideally, the dock would float so it could be used no mater what the river level.

Access. There are three entrances to the site, from the north, east, and west. The north entrance bridges over the road and railroad lines, since there are sidings there that would likely be blocked by parked train cars. The east entrance goes underneath a raise railroad, and crosses another at grade. The west entrance is for those coming via water taxi or the hiking/biking trail. Stairs and ramps or an elevator take them from the rivers edge up to the new overlook in beige, then bridge over the top of the railroads, flood wall, and road to meet up with the HOK overlook structure at its bottom west level.

Food. The beige oval along the east entrance is an outdoor market/food court. It would accommodate several food carts and produce stands, and a seating area. The red circles are umbrellas.

Private Investment. This development would likely spark private investment in the area. The pink areas along the north end would be good places for restaurants and souvenir shops.

Parking. There are plenty of parking spaces along the north end, but they belong to the Casino Queen. If more spaces are needed, the yellow area at the south east would be a good spot. Parking lots are never very exciting, but this one could have a little character. The concrete slabs of the old engine roundhouse could be repaired, and the gaps between them paved with asphalt. Train buffs would be thankful if at least the footprint of the most celebrated types of buildings from our railroad history could be preserved.