Gale Woods Farm

Living History

New generations can learn about Minnesota’s agriculture at sites like Gale Woods Farm, a unique Three Rivers Park District property in Minnetrista, MN. Miller Dunwiddie was instrumental in creating this special park, working farm, educational facility, and land stewardship demonstration area. There’s nothing quite like it — which made this project a thrill to work on.

Our architects began with a feasibility study of the farm soon after the park district acquired it and were pleased to be able to reuse the original barn and the Gale family farmhouse, which exemplify regional farm architecture of their era. We planned a comprehensive rehabilitation of the barn to prepare it for livestock and visitor interaction. The farmhouse became a multi-use classroom; Gale Woods hosts traditional handwork, food production, and early childhood education classes. In addition to these activities, we designed new structures that complement the vernacular of the original buildings, including a new education center, viewing area, machine shed, compost shelter, restrooms, produce stand and display, and large pavilion building for special events rentals. Together, the land and buildings have strong visual appeal and tell a story about the past and the present.