CAMP PARSONS
Through historic research and a structural assessment, Minnesota’s first black-owned summer camp is slated to reopen
"New History was thoughtful in their approach and consistent in delivering information in a timely manner. They interpreted complex preservation regulations and standards in a way that was easy to understand, and provided processes for meaningful client engagement."
- James Howarth, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, Snow Kreilich Architects
LOCATION
CLIENT
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CONSTRUCTED
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PROJECT DATE
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PROJECT SCOPE​​​​​​
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PROJECT SIZE
Watertown, MN​
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Snow Kreilich, Phyllis Wheatley Community Center​
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1958; 1968
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2025
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Structural Assessment, Historic Status Evaluation, Design Guidelines
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106 acres
The first black-owned summer camp in Minnesota receives an Underrepresented
Communities Grant to reactivate its Nature House and the entire Camp Parsons property.
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CHALLENGE
Camp Parsons, created in 1958 by Phyllis Wheatley Community Center (PWCC), closed due to budget constraints in 2001. It sat owned but unused by PWCC for roughly twenty years before they received a prestigious grant from the Underrepresented Communities fund to restore the Camp’s Nature House, which was constructed in 1968 for use as an open-air classroom and boat storage facility, with the aim to re-open the camp once more.
SUCCESS
New History conducted research on the history of the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center’s efforts to procure and operate a summer camp property. Apart from likely being the first black-owned summer camp in the state, New History learned that the camp’s master plan had been completed in 1959 by Lloyd B. Sharp, a pioneer of the burgeoning outdoor education movement, near the end of his life. The property was therefore determined by New History to be likely eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in the areas of Education and African American Ethnic History. New History further completed a structural assessment and Design Guidelines for the Nature House in order to reactivate the building for future use and support.