Preservation
Plaza Stage
Historic Arnolds Park asked RDG to design park improvements that would preserve the view of the city's signature lake from the park's open green space and create a new performance venue with accompanying amenities and back-of-house space.
Arnolds Park Amusement Park has been an integral part of the experiences and memories of the Iowa Great Lakes for generations. The greenspace portion of the property, owned by the not-for-profit Historic Arnolds Park Inc. (HAPI), is the largest remaining, contiguous, publicly accessible open space along the shores of West Okoboji Lake. HAPI hosts a variety of outdoor events and activities throughout the year.
This project removed and replaced the existing stage and canopy with a new, modernized outdoor performance venue, restrooms, concessions, a V.I.P. roof pavilion, a new vehicular drop-off/turnaround, trails, lighting, landscape plantings and signage.
The amphitheater canopy, its vertical stature preserving unobstructed views across the park, evokes a rippling wave rolling in from the lake. Its stainless‑steel roof captures and reflects the rich blue hue of the sky, much as the water mirrors that same color at ground level. Beneath, the curved wooden undersurface suggests the graceful sweep of a wooden boat gliding through water, while the canopy’s undulating form continues the rhythmic flow of the adjacent coaster tracks along the boardwalk. Color-changing LEDs along the canopy’s edge further reinforce a playful, visual connection to the coaster and the lake beyond.