4RM+ULA, in collaboration with TEN x TEN, designed the 26th Avenue North Overlook to reconnect Minneapolis’s Near Northside community to the Mississippi River, a bond long severed by industrial zoning and decades of disinvestment.

Anchored by a dramatic 35-foot mast that extends outward over the bluff, the overlook draws visitors visually and physically toward the river. The mast’s color-changing LED illumination transforms it into a dynamic evening landmark, visible from across the water.

Nicknamed the “magic spoon,” the structure invites both reflection and play. Bright blue ship’s netting forms hammocks and climbing zones for children and adults alike, blending recreation with a renewed sense of place. Constructed of board-formed concrete, metal, and wood, the overlook balances durability with warmth, while integrating artwork created by local youth.

As the first completed project in Minneapolis’s River First initiative, the Overlook stands as a symbol of reconnection; bridging a once-isolated community back to its riverfront. Its slender, ship-like deck extends 25 feet over the bluff, evoking movement and the flow of the Mississippi. In winter, when the trees thin, the illuminated mast glows even brighter; a beacon of community, equity, and renewal along the river’s edge.