The 1986 Centennial Ice Palace in Phalen Park became the largest single spectator event in Minnesota history. Located on the island in Phalen Park, it stood 128 feet, 9 inches high and was built from 10,000 ice blocks harvested from Lake Phalen, each weighing 710 pounds and measuring 42 inches long, 24 inches wide, and 23 inches thick. Its construction included 412 timber piles driven 30-35 feet into the ground, 37 tons of steel reinforcing bars set above the pilings, 491 yards of concrete poured in a single record-breaking pour, a 100-foot-square concrete and steel foundation, 4-1/2 miles of electrical wiring for sound and lighting, 1200 red, green, and blue colored lights, 24 hour computerized light changes, and background music. Temperatures ranged from a low of -18 degrees F with windchill of -40 degrees F to a high of 44 degrees F. The first ice block was laid Jan. 6, and the final block was laid Feb. 5; the palace was demolished Feb. 20, 1986. Worldwide media coverage exceeded 250,000,000 people by March of 1986, and over 1,500,000 people visited the Ice Palace.
