While Upper Harbor Terminal was still an abandoned industrial site, the Minneapolis Park and Recre­ation Board hired JXTA to prototype furni­ture for a future public park. They wanted furniture that could be built with local materials and by local people.

On a tour of Upper Harbor Terminal we walked under giant conveyors built from steel trusses. We adopted the truss into an attractive and sturdy base for benches, tables, and even a chaise lounge. On top we built seats with ash lumber milled from Minneapolis trees. The furniture was im­mediately popular. People felt connected to how it looked and how it was made.