SOLDiErs FIELD AQUATIC CENTER

A Community Aquatic Destination, Reimagined

Soldiers Field Memorial Park has long been a destination for recreation in the heart of Rochester, Minnesota. As part of a major reinvestment in the historic park, the City of Rochester transformed its aging aquatic facility into an expansive new destination for swimmers, families, and visitors of all ages.

Completed in 2024, the new Soldiers Field Aquatic Center features a 50-meter activity and lap pool, a zero-depth-entry lazy river, three waterslides, a renovated bathhouse, and dedicated water play areas including a splash pad with spray features, fountains, and a multi-level play structure.

The new aquatic center officially opened to the community on June 10, 2024, as part of the larger Soldiers Field Memorial Park improvement project.

An Aquatic-Inspired Gradient Designed for Play

For the splash pad, the Life Floor Studio created a custom surface that makes the flooring an integral part of the play experience.

Across 2,051 square feet (191 m²), a geometric triangle gradient brings together the warm neutrals of Gobi and Sandstone with the aquatic tones of Aqua, Seafoam, and Turquoise. The palette creates a natural connection between sand and water while adding movement and dimension beneath the splash pad's interactive features.

Inlays are incorporated throughout the design to extend the aquatic theme and encourage discovery and imaginative play. Life Floor's Marine collection includes playful aquatic imagery such as fish, bubbles, seagrass, seashells, starfish, seahorses, and crabs, making the surface itself another element of the experience.

Safety Meets Imaginative Design

With children moving between fountains, spray features, slides, and the multi-level play structure, the splash pad called for a surface designed specifically for active aquatic environments.

Life Floor's cushioned, slip-resistant aquatic safety surfacing helps support safer movement in wet conditions while providing a softer, more comfortable surface underfoot. The modular tiles also let aquatic facilities combine certified safety performance with custom colors, patterns, and thematic elements, rather than treating safety and design as separate considerations.

At Soldiers Field, the combination of geometric patterning, a water-inspired color palette, and Marine Inlays creates a surface designed to support both play value and visual impact.

Part of a Larger Vision for Rochester

The aquatic center is one piece of a much larger transformation of Soldiers Field Memorial Park. Planning for the improvements incorporated extensive public engagement, including nearly 3,000 survey responses and online comments, stakeholder meetings, and in-person events that helped inform the final plan.

The completed improvements expanded recreation throughout the park with new aquatic amenities, playgrounds, shelters, basketball courts, trail connections, public art, and environmental enhancements. In 2026, the City of Rochester Parks and Recreation Department received a Minnesota Recreation and Park Association Award of Excellence for the Soldiers Field Memorial Park improvements, recognizing the project's contribution to recreation and accessibility within the community.

Project Highlights

Facility: Soldiers Field Aquatic Center
Location: Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Designer: Life Floor Studio
Install Date: 2024
Area: 2,051 sq ft (191 m²)
Colors: Gobi, Sandstone, Aqua, Seafoam, Turquoise
Texture: Ripple
Thickness: 3/8” (10mm)
Aquatic Engineering: Ramaker
Architect: Miller Dunwiddie Architecture
Construction Manager: Kraus-Anderson
Installer: Inside Edge
Play Features: Vortex

You've landed on a project portfolio page for Life Floor, the company that provided the aquatic safety surfacing for the splash pad at Soldiers Field Aquatic Center. If you're a guest looking for facility information, visit the City of Rochester Parks & Recreation website. If you're a municipality, aquatic facility operator, or splash pad designer, explore more Life Floor projects for inspiration.

Soldiers Field Aquatic Center Information

Located in Rochester, Minnesota, Soldiers Field Aquatic Center is a city-operated outdoor aquatic facility featuring a zero-depth-entry lazy river, three-waterslide tower, 50-meter activity and lap pool, climbing wall, drop slide, Aqua Zip, and splash pad with fountains, spray features, and a multi-level play structure.

For current hours, admission, programming, season passes, and facility information, visit the City of Rochester's Soldiers Field Aquatic Center page.

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