A new plaza honoring Hmong culture may soon be added to Phalen Regional Park in St. Paul.
Earlier this week, the St. Paul City Council received a $388,000 grant from the Heritage Grants Program at the Minnesota Humanities Center. The St. Paul Department of Parks and Recreation will use the money to help design the project.
St. Paul will work with local Hmong artists and the community to plan the plaza, according to the grant. It will likely feature symbols and artwork relevant to the Hmong culture.
“We have some early ideas,” said Brett Hussong, project manager. “The art … will tell the story of the Hmong immigrant.”
Early estimates put the cost of the Hmong cultural plaza around $2 million, he said. The city will look to private donations and other grant programs.
There is no timetable for fundraising or for when construction could begin.
The plaza would be a part of the China Garden, a $7 million project at Phalen park approved in 2011. The garden honors Changsha, China, the ancestral home for many Minnesota Hmongs, according to the St. Paul city website.
Work on the China Garden is progressing in phases and may take a decade to complete, Husson said. Visitors can already visit a Hmong Heritage Wall and the Xiang Jiang Pavilion, a replica of Changsha’s famous Aiwan Pavilion.
