Journey to the Home

Since 2009, Crescent Cove has been focused on opening a home in Minnesota for the children and families of the Midwest. Here is our journey to 2017, when we will open the first children’s respite and hospice home in Minnesota.

2017 | Heading Home

Crescent Cove closes on the property on Twin Lakes in Brooklyn Center, MN

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2016 | Sites Considered

Saint Paul and Chaska

In August, 2015 it was determined that we would look for a site closer to the children’s hospitals in the Twin Cities. We extend our gratitude to Ridgeview Medical Center and the City of Chaska for working closely with us for the past couple of years as we explored the possibility of building in Chaska. The search for a new site continued. After determining our site criteria, Paul Donovan from Cushman & Wakefield helped to identify a number of sites available. Some sites fit our criteria better than others. One that was brought to our attention was near Snelling and Montreal in the Highland Park area of St. Paul. When it didn’t look like that site would be available, a church located near that property offered for us to consider looking at their land on Snelling and Edcumbe. On March 3, 2016, Crescent Cove, RSP Architects and the Edgcumbe Presbyterian Elders and Pastors met. Their team unanimously decided they would like to take the next steps and they shared this news with their congregation on March 13, 2016. Our site and building committee are getting organized and meeting with their church leaders to determine the next steps.

Potential site in Saint Paul

2015 | Building Blocks

Emotional Target to inform the design: Embraced, Celebrated and Assured

In the summer of 2015, RSP Architects completed dozens of interviews with families, clinicians, and those who have worked at Ryan House and George Mark Children’s House to inform the design. The these that arose from those interviews were profound. The first question was “How would you/did you feel best supported and cared-for on your journey of caring, change, and loss with your family and child?”some of the themes that arose include the challenges with feeling isolated, guilty, everyday grief, dealing with the unknown, and the challenge to make meaning and deal with so many on-going transitions that a family caring for a child with a shortened life expectancy experiences.

The Crescent Cove team of families, clinical, and building advisory committee members and board members then met to determine the emotional target to inform the design of the home. The task was to determine three words that we want families and staff to feel when they are at Crescent Cove. Emotions like feeling ‘honored’, ’embraced’, ‘free to be’, ‘understood’, ‘renewed’, and ‘inspired’ were among those that rose to the top. It was a powerful experience and one that will inspire the design team.

The interviews and emotional targeting session have also helped to inform the questions we have been asking about the site and location we have been focusing on in Chaska. Due to the information that continues to be gathered and the additions to the space needed in the home, we are in the process of determining if the site in Chaska is in fact best. There are pros and of course cons and our team is evaluating the options with the plan to finalize the decision by the end of August, 2015. Click Here to read some of the results from the interviews.

2013 | The Concept of a Home

Crescent Cove’s building committee, staff and board are grateful to the support from Mortenson Construction for facilitating a request for proposal to architecture firms in our community. Our team selected RSP Architects to lead our organization through a uniquely facilitated ‘experience design process’, engaging many families and constituents in the design process. RSP’s Architectural team took the time to visit Ryan House in Phoenix, read ‘A House Called Helen’ about the very first children’s hospice home built in England and meet with a local family waiting for this home. We are excited to share updates as the process continues and the design comes to life.

Crescent Cove staff and members of the Building Advisory Council have worked diligently with HGA through the initial design phase for the home. For this next phase, RSP was selected and will continue to build on the knowledge acquired to bring this home to reality for families in our community.