Rice Park is a public park in downtown

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, United States. Features of the park include a fountain, a bandstand, sculptures of characters from the ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

'' cartoons and an ice-rink during the winter months. Rice Park is one of the venues of the

Saint Paul Winter Carnival The Saint Paul Winter Carnival is an annual festival in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. History In 1885, a New York reporter wrote that Saint Paul was, "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation" in winter. Offended by this attack on th ...

; in selected years, an ice palace is built as part of the festivities. Rice Park is bordered by the 1902 Landmark Center to the north, the 1910 Saint Paul Hotel to the east, the 1917 George Latimer Central Library to the south, and the

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, hosts a variety of performing arts, such as touring Broadway musicals, orchestra, opera, and cultural performers, and produces local musicals. It is home to several l ...

to the west.

History

The park is named after territorial Minnesota Senator

Henry Mower Rice Henry Mower Rice (November 29, 1816January 15, 1894) was a fur trader and an American politician prominent in the statehood of Minnesota. Early life Henry Rice was born on November 29, 1816, in Waitsfield, Vermont to Edmund Rice and Ellen (Dur ...

, who donated the land to the city in 1849 along with St. Paul banker John Irvine. The lands of the park were first used by settlers to dry laundry or graze animals, including sheep. After the area was designated a park, a German florist grew flowers and vegetables on the grounds in exchange for maintenance. Trees were donated by in 1862 by St. Paul mayor John S. Prince, a fountain and bandstand were added in 1872, and electric lights were installed in 1883. Positioned within multiple traffic crossroads, it was a place for people of mixed sociopolitical backgrounds to meet; after dark, this included gay men

cruising for sex Cruising for sex or cruising is walking or driving about a locality, called a cruising ground, in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety. Published: 11-14-2007 Published: 9-21-2005 Article from NYT about a ...

. A 1965 renovation was spearheaded by the Women's Institute of Saint Paul, when a statue of a girl created by Wisconsin artist Alonzo Hauser was added as a centerpiece to the park. Renovations in 1980s included replacement of benches and paths, and a renovation in the year 2000 included a redesign of the fountain area. A $2.3 million renovation in the 2010s included a new power grid and stormwater collection and irrigation system, along with wider pathways, new benches, and café tables.

References

{{reflist

External links

Rice Park photos
at the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

. 1849 establishments in Minnesota Territory Parks in Saint Paul, Minnesota