Great River Children’s Museum Takes Home Statewide Redevelopment Honor

(KNSI) – A new landmark destination for families in St. Cloud has won a statewide award.

The Great River Children’s Museum was named the winner of the Innovation Award at the 2026 ReScape Brownfield Redevelopment Awards, presented by Minnesota Brownfields. The honor recognizes the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated and blighted properties across the state.

The Great River Children’s Museum has been more than 40 years in the making. It began in 1983 when St. Cloud State University professor Glen Palm and early childhood specialist Jane Ellison first envisioned a children’s museum for the region. After decades of community engagement, planning, and fundraising, including a $7 million state legislative award in 2022, the dream became reality when construction started in May 2024.

The museum, housed in a donated 25,000-square-foot former Liberty Bank building in downtown St. Cloud, officially opened its doors on June 10th, 2025, and was honored with the City of St. Cloud’s Historic Preservation Award that same year.

Project partners on the winning redevelopment include the City of St. Cloud; Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties; Greater St. Cloud; Braun Intertec Corporation; the State of Minnesota; and the Main Street Economic Revitalization Program.

Minnesota Brownfields, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit founded in 2006, created the ReScape Awards to highlight projects that turn contaminated land into community assets while driving economic growth and development.

The award was presented at the 15th Annual ReScape Awards Gala last month in Minneapolis.

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