The new Guthrie Theater is more than a 3-stage performance gallery – it is a gathering place and an observatory for the Mississippi River and the Historic Mills District of Minneapolis. The site was intended to be the canvas from which the industrial abstraction of the theater would emerge. Framing the first floor is a tilted plane of dresser trap rock, planted thickly with spreading Japanese Yew. This plane extends the length of the River Parkway façade, creating a green plinth on which the theater rests. Plazas and walkways edge the site, one of which is a pedestrian extension of Chicago Avenue. This pedestrian plaza acts as a forecourt for the theater –a way to connect the riverfront back to the city beyond. A second walkway parallels the River Parkway. This walkway will eventually connect into the path system of the newly planned park to the east. The clean contours of the tilted planes and the formal rhythm of the yew plantings begin to dissolve as visitors move towards the new park. This dissolution creates a seamless transition from the park on the East side of the new Guthrie.