Best New Projects from SD Architects: Lake Brophy Welcome Center

Later this week, we wrap up Blueprint South Dakota’s spotlight on the entries from the 2025 Design Awards competition. AIA South Dakota members again proved their creativity and problem-solving skills with beautifully functional work, on display in communities across South Dakota and beyond. Each installment in this series introduces readers to a different project, in the design team’s own words. As part of every entry form, AIA SD asked submitters to provide a “long description” that addressed the design intent and its progression. We invited submitters to go beyond the stats to show the value the project added for their client or community. In turn, they detailed the problems the project solved, told how their process made the most of hidden opportunities, and described the ways the design supports the client or community through form and function.

Lake Brophy Welcome Center

The basics

Firm: JLG Architects
Client: Douglas County Public Works Department
Category: Small Project
Location: Alexandria, Minn.

The story

Although a popular destination, Lake Brophy County Park lacked the necessary amenities to fully support the diverse activities of park visitors. This Center enriches the park experience by providing essential amenities that support a wide range of activities, from picnics and family outings to year-round recreation.

The design team collaborated with Douglas County to design and develop a multipurpose Welcome Center that is functional, beautiful, and fits within the natural landscape of Brophy Park. This Center features views to Brophy Lake and includes a gathering space capable of hosting large groups for various events, including picnics, outdoor education, family reunions, graduation parties, company picnics, and cross-country ski rentals.

Boosting Brophy Park’s status as cherished community center, this building supports year-round recreation and enriches park experiences by creating a nature-focused, central hub for park activities. Designed by JLG Architects for Douglas County Public Works Department. Photo credit: Amdak Productions, LLC.

The new pavilion shelters essential services while it screens parking and frames views to the lake. Simply detailed steel tube columns and wide flange beams support a generous, simply gabled roof. Cross-laminated timber decking, clad with standing-seam metal, extends from end to end, enclosing restrooms and a warming room while protecting the open-air picnic area. Low-maintenance, durable burnished block wraps service spaces. High-performance curtain-wall glazing keeps out the cold.