Proposal for a birdwatching tower in De Smet, South Dakota

Project extended to the biggest land art project in the US

Competition, 2024, shortlisted

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The 97th meridian is the demarcation line that separated the so called „wild west“ from the stable settlements of european heritage. Along this frontier many battles have been fought, land has been claimed, existences have been built and lives have been lost.

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Nowadays the heartland region in the very center of the US is still influenced by the frontier mentality, where industry and untouched natural landscapes coexist, where All-American values of hard-working individuals live side by side with the remaining members of the tribes once native to these lands.

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Here is where the small city of De Smet, South Dakota, lies. A small town about which the famous author Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote in her books which speak about the creation of the American identity during the settlement period. Here, along the shores of Silver Lake, the Midwest Memorial Trail will begin: A project that draws a line across the American continent which follows the famous frontier. 5.864 simple, wooden structures covered with a layer of waxed cotton cloth form a trail that leads in a straight line from the Canadian border all the way to Mexico. They can be built over the next decades by the inhabitants of the areas they pass through, thus forming a community project that creates the biggest landmark of the U.S. These structures act as beacons and create a memorial that connects the different parts of land it passes through. Individuals that decide to hike along the memorial trail, will find shelter in the beacons every few miles. Every now and then, the strict rhythmical distance of 1/4 mile between the structures is being broken by other typologies: Wherever the trail crosses a highway, there will be two towers indicating the intersection and provide information and a place to rest. Landscapes worth a view from a higher standpoint will have observational towers.

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In De Smet both happens in direct vicinity: The markers on the intersection of Highway 14 act as a gate to the city and the observational tower of the memorial trail stands on the western shore of Silver Lake, providing three levels of views: The first platform, sheltered from the elements, provides an atmospheric space to sit and rest and focus on the filtered light and auditory phenomena of the specific site. A few steps higher, the cloth is being opened like a curtain, providing a directed view to the landscape. All the way at the top an open platform provides a 360° view of the surrounding lands and the impressive impact the iconic line of beacons has.