Graham Park updates from Olmsted County
September 2022
Welcome to Graham Park!
We want your next visit to Graham Park to be memorable! New and updated signs on our Broadway Avenue entrance and digital message board greet visitors upon arrival. The digital message board is on the southwest corner of Graham Park at the intersection of 16th Street SE and south Broadway. If you are interested in renting the board for advertising purposes, please visit the Olmsted County website.
Outdoor event plaza
Work is underway on a new outdoor event plaza between Crawford Hall and Floral Hall at Graham Park. In 2016, the Graham Park Development Committee had the idea to create an accessible and green outdoor space for people to gather and enjoy various events. The idea was added to the 2021 Graham Park Master Plan, and work on the project began in August 2022. Kraus Anderson Construction was chosen as the general contractor for the event plaza. The first phase of the project includes concrete slab work and is expected to be complete in early October 2022. Once complete, guests and visitors will be able to use the space for outdoor markets, weddings, and other special events.
Diagram of the outdoor event plaza between Crawford Hall and Floral Hall at Graham Park.
Phase one of the Graham Park outdoor event plaza project. Picture taken August 2022.
A top ten wedding venue!
In July 2022, Weddingrule.com named Graham Park a top 10 wedding venue in Rochester, Minnesota. As noted in the article, “Graham Park is one of the best places in Rochester to come and gather and celebrate your wedding and other special life moments. They offer unparalleled customer services and beautiful indoor and outdoor venues for your ceremony and reception. They can host intimate and large-scale weddings with several hundred of your closest friends.”
Article courtesy weddingrule.com.
Book your next event at Graham Park!
- Aune Hall (formally the 4-H Building)
- Occupancy: 250
- Type: A banquet hall with dimmable lighting, chairs, tables, and restrooms.
- Interesting fact: The hall was dedicated to Ray Aune in 1975. Ray was the Olmsted County Extension Agent from 1936 to 1956. Aune Hall commemorates Ray’s aspirations for education and recreation of the youth in Olmsted County. The Graham Park Workgroup decided to drop the 4-H Building name and refer to the building as Aune Hall after it was remodeled in 2021.
- Make a reservation: Please visit the Olmsted County website for information on rental rates and floor layouts.
Aune Hall main room with round table settings.
Aune Hall main room with banquet-style table settings.
Aune Hall small room.
- Floral Hall
- Occupancy: 300
- Type: A banquet hall with dimmable lighting, chairs, tables, and restrooms.
- Interesting fact: Floral Hall is a limestone structure that has stood strong since 1938. The limestone came from a quarry in Genoa, Minnesota.
- Make a reservation: Please visit the Olmsted County website for information on rental rates and floor layouts.
Floral Hall with banquet-style table settings.
Floral Hall ceremony-style setup.
- Crawford Hall
- Occupancy: 340
- Type: A banquet hall with dimmable lighting, chairs, tables, and restrooms.
- Interesting fact: Crawford Hall was designed by Harold Crawford in 1950. Crawford was a well-known architect in Rochester who designed many homes in the Pill Hill district located southwest of downtown Rochester. The building was used as a roller rink in the 1950s!
- Make a reservation: Please visit the Olmsted County website for information on rental rates and floor layouts.
Crawford Hall with round table settings.
Graham Arena ice rink sponsorships
Mayo Clinic and Toyota have entered into agreements with Olmsted County to sponsor ice rinks one and four, respectively. Funding from the sponsorships will go toward enhancements at Graham Arena. Below are pictures of potential sponsorship designs inside Graham Arena by Toyota.
Other Graham Arena ice rink updates
The Rochester Youth Hockey Association and Mayo Clinic are helping with the purchase of new scoreboards and sound equipment in Graham Arena rinks one, two, and three, and lighting over the bleachers in rink one. Scoreboards will be installed this November. Lighting and sound equipment will be installed this October.
A facelift for the Ear of Corn Water Tower pump house
In summer 2022, the Ear of Corn Water Tower pump house underwent some renovations. Repairs were made to the cement blocks, mortar, and roof. A new door and block windows were installed.
Updated Ear of Corn Water Tower pump house.
Other Ear of Corn Water Tower news
You may have heard of the ‘Corn Kid.’ The child become a social media sensation in August 2022 after sharing his love for corn in a television interview. A song was created with his interview and the rest is history! Experience Rochester, MN seized the moment and used the song in a now viral TikTok video that featured Olmsted County’s Ear of Corn Water Tower.
Gardens in bloom
Olmsted County Extension Master Gardener volunteers have been busy beautifying several areas of Graham Park with natural habitats that attract pollinators and support our ecosystem. You can learn more about the volunteers on the University of Minnesota Extension website.
Garden outside Graham Arena east entrance.
Garden outside Graham Park 3rd Street entrance.
Ongoing work to secure state bonding for Graham Park
During the 2022 Minnesota Legislative session, Olmsted County advocated for state capital investment to construct a regional, multi-use exhibition center designed to meet market demands and better serve the year-round Rochester Farmers Markets through inclement weather. The governor’s capital investment plan included $10 million for this project, but a bonding bill did not pass during the session.
Olmsted County continues to invest in Graham Park in addition to looking for other sources of funding.
Proposed exhibition center at Graham Park.
Connect with us and share your love for Graham Park!
Stay informed on Graham Park news and progress by subscribing to receive email updates. You can also follow Graham Park on Facebook and Instagram. While you’re there, be sure to like, comment, and share what you enjoy about Graham Park. Post a picture or share a comment on why Graham Park is a great place to gather, celebrate, and learn! You could be featured in our next Graham Park update!