For the first fall in memory, the five acres closest to St. Anthony Falls are off-limits, and they will stay that way until spring 2027. Next door, Water Works Pavilion has no restaurant open. Owamni moved its kitchen to the Guthrie as Indígena by Owamni this summer, and the new tenant has not opened yet.
That leaves a gap at the center of the riverfront, but it has not emptied the riverfront. The usual loop has moved outward to the bridge, a storefront across from the fence, the museum and Washington Avenue. A good autumn walk depends on knowing where it goes now.
What the Fence Is Holding
The Dakota-led nonprofit Owámniyomni Okhódayapi started construction in mid-May 2026. The site lies next to the Upper Lock and follows ten years of community discussion, Tribal engagement, fundraising and design. The first phase covers land and plants and runs through 2026 and 2027. Water and shoreline restoration is planned for 2028.
The site prep plan takes out several things longtime walkers will remember:
- The Upper Lock parking lot
- The second level of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers central control station
- A restroom building that no longer worked
After that comes planting. The plan calls for oak savanna and upland prairie grown from seeds and soils sourced from Dakota Tribal lands in Minnesota. The Star Tribune reported that the steep, narrow roadway between West River Parkway and the lock and dam will be removed. A planned switchback path built for ADA access will replace it. These are plans. No public report this fall has confirmed which removals or plantings are finished.
The money is mostly raised. The organization is running a $60 million campaign and had reached $40.5 million, including a $4.7 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. The organization also expects to take ownership of the federal land from the Army Corps in late 2026. The nonprofit's president, Shelley Buck, described the start of construction this way:
"This moment marks more than the start of construction for the Owámniyomni project – it is a step toward healing a sacred Dakota place, restoring our relationship with the land and water, and making Dakota people visible in our homelands again."
The Bridge Is Now the Viewing Deck
With the ground closed, the best view of the work is from the Stone Arch Bridge. The nonprofit lists viewing the project from the bridge as one of the ways the public can still visit. The bridge's own repairs are behind it. The Park Board reported that it reopened July 21, 2025, and MnDOT now lists the repair project as complete.
The lower ruins have also changed how you enter and leave. Mill Ruins Park stays open during construction, but the Park Board's access notice describes a dead end. A riverfront loop that still works this fall:
- Cross the Stone Arch Bridge for the view down onto the restoration site and the lock.
- Come back to the Portland Avenue end of the bridge, across from the fence.
- To reach lower Mill Ruins, go in at the trail entrance near the 35W Bridge Remembrance Garden.
- Leave the way you came in, because there is no through access.
- Finish at Water Works or head up to Washington Avenue.
The park itself is open from 6 a.m. to midnight in developed areas and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. in undeveloped areas.
The Storefront Across From the Fence
What you can't see from the bridge is explained at Crown Plaza. The Owámniyomni Engagement Space is at 100 Portland Avenue South, Suite 10, directly across from the restoration site and the entrance to the Stone Arch Bridge. It hosts most of the organization's programs and is the meeting point for interpretive tours. It has maker space, a kitchen, offices and meeting rooms.
The construction site can't be visited on your own. The nonprofit offers a self-guided audio tour and public interpretive tours once a month, weather permitting, plus private group tours. The space has no posted drop-in hours, so plan around the schedule. The October calendar lists two programs:
- October 10, 3 to 5 p.m.: "Good Relatives Series: Mitákuye Owás'iŋ," a panel discussion and community meal.
- October 13, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.: "Overflow Radio – A Gathering of Conversations." The first day includes an interpretive tour, panels and volunteer work at Wakan Tipi.
The November schedule has not been published yet.
The same room is also helping plan the land around the site. In August, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board held its open house for Water Works Phase 2 there. GGN, the Seattle design firm leading that work, is also designing the Owámniyomni restoration. The Phase 2 work is still at the concept stage, but the two projects are being designed together.
Water Works Is Open, and Its Kitchen Is Waiting
The pavilion is still worth a stop. Its October through April hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The park around it is open from 6 a.m. to midnight.
Owamni's move freed up the kitchen. Indígena by Owamni opened at the Guthrie on June 23 and held its grand opening on July 4. The next tenant at 425 W. River Parkway is Arch and River, a French bistronomie restaurant with Afro-Caribbean influences. It comes from Diane Moukouri and Fritz Ebanda, the owners of B'beri Desserts. Ebanda will be executive chef, and Moukouri will run operations. In August, Axios reported a September target. Racket's October 1 roundup now says "later this year," with no date.
That means a restaurant could open right next to the restoration while the land is still being planted. For now, the closest sit-down meal to the falls is at the Guthrie, and the pavilion is a place to get warm on the way.
The Calendar Holding the Riverfront Together
The fence hasn't stopped the riverfront schedule. The institutions around the site carry it through November.
| Date | Where | What |
|---|---|---|
| Saturdays, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 | Mill City Farmers Market, outdoors | 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Oct. 4 | Mill City Museum | Season's Eatings: Fall |
| Through Oct. 11 | Guthrie Theater | Waiting for Godot |
| Oct. 10 to Nov. 8 | Guthrie Theater | Kunene and the King |
| Oct. 22 | Mill City Museum | Walking My Ancestors' Path book launch and exhibit opening |
| Oct. 29 | Mill City Museum | The Last Entry film screening |
| Nov. 7 and 21 | Mill City Museum, indoors | Farmers market, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
| Nov. 11 to Dec. 27 | Guthrie Theater | A Christmas Carol 2026 |
October 31 is the market's last outdoor Saturday. After that it moves into Mill City Museum on the first and third Saturdays from November through April, and you don't need museum admission to shop. In 2026, that puts the indoor dates on November 7 and 21.
Washington Avenue Picks Up the Rest
Two blocks up from the river, the newer storefronts are already open. Banh Mi House at 1024 Washington Ave. S. serves banh mi, rice bowls and Vietnamese iced coffee. The Star Tribune lists June 11 as the dining room's official opening. Fathead Bill's at 903 Washington Ave. S. opened June 13 as a sports bar serving BLTs and Joey-style wings.
Another opening is closer to the water. Jujube, a restaurant pairing Texas barbecue with Asian flavors, is taking over the former Izzy's Ice Cream building at 1100 S. 2nd St. As of Racket's October 1 report, it is aiming for this fall with no confirmed date. If Jujube and Arch and River both open before the year ends, the Mill District will have two new riverfront restaurants by winter, while the ground between them is still being planted.
If you own near the falls, the next two years will change what you see from your windows: the parking lot is coming out, prairie and oak savanna are going in, and the shoreline phase is planned for 2028. Shane Spencer and The City Dwellings Group follow those riverfront changes closely. To talk about what they could mean for a Mill District home, Shane Spencer is here. Let's Connect — Request a Confidential Consultation.
