• About HGA
• Experience
• Corporate
• Cultural
• Education
• Engineering
• Governments
• Healthcare
• Interior Design
• Landscape Architecture
• Lighting Design
• Planning
• Religious Worship Spaces
• Science and Technology
• Sustainable Design
• Work In Progress
• News and Views
• Architecture Careers
• Contact HGA

Canterbury Park Master Plan

Since 1995, Canterbury Park has functioned as a premier gaming facility in Shakopee, Minnesota including live horse racing, a 24-hour card club and slot gaming. As one of Minnesota's most popular entertainment destinations, Canterbury Park also hosts concerts, snowmobile racing, craft shows and business meetings. With an eye to the future, Canterbury Park is looking to further broaden the range of entertainment types it offers by planning a major expansion of its facilities. A unique concept for the entertainment complex is being explored that would add a major casino, hotel and conference center to the racing component. This vision for the future has been termed "Racino at Canterbury Park." HGA was commissioned to develop a masterplan and model for the entire 367-acre property. A few important theme-related elements such as monument signage, planting and sculpture (conceptually) had been previously developed. The proposed 100,000 sf casino, 250 room hotel and conference center is located adjacent to the racetrack, and is connected to the existing grandstand at a large porte-cochere with an elaborate glass-enclosed entry lobby. Enormous bronze horses sprint from the entry lobby with water splashing underfoot. Other features incorporated in the masterplan include a cross-country course, horse polo and training field, horse show barns, indoor and outdoor horse show arenas, and western show arenas. Parking and service was entirely reconfigured. Water features, monument signage and extensive plantings were also incorporated. The grandstand, racetrack and racehorse barns were the only elements not modified in the masterplan. The design team was instrumental helping to reinforce the theme of "The Horse." Understanding well the fundamental aspects of "place-making," the team developed architectural forms and a palette of materials to be used throughout the campus. A very large monument sign was designed for the southeast corner of the property using rough, weathered sandstone, back lit letters and a large horse (corporate logo) to convey the theme of "The Horse." The tote board at the racetrack was also designed of these materials, and an innovative mechanical system to periodically install and remove the heavy 22-foot video screen was conceived. The illustrative masterplan, large model, perspective sketches, and other graphics were developed for this client partly for their campaign to receive State authorization to expand gaming (i.e., build a casino) at Canterbury Park.