Peavey Plaza
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Peavey Plaza
| nrhp_type =
| image = Fountain-Peavey Plaza-Minneapolis-20050927.jpg
| caption = Fountain at Peavey Plaza
| location = 1101 Nicollet Mall
| coordinates = {{coord|44|58|19.9|N|93|16|31.9|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Minnesota#USA
| built = {{Start date|1975}}
| architect = M. Paul Friedberg
| architecture = Modern Movement
| added = January 14, 2013
| area = 1 acre
| refnum = 12001173{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
Peavey Plaza is a park plaza that serves as a public outdoor space in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota at the south end of Nicollet Mall between South 11th and 12th Streets. The sunken plaza and its amphitheater were designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg and built in 1975 alongside Orchestra Hall.{{cite news|last=Shattuck|first=Kathryn|title=Minneapolis Tussles Over a Faded Plaza|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/arts/design/minneapolis-tussles-over-peavey-plaza.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 16, 2012}} The Cultural Landscape Foundation has deemed the plaza a "marvel of modernism"{{cite web|title=Marvels of Modernism: Peavey Plaza|url=http://tclf.org/content/marvels-modernism-peavey-plaza|publisher=The Cultural Landscape Foundation|date=October 15, 2008}} and it was named one of the top ten most endangered historical sites in Minnesota before its rehabilitation in 2019.{{cite news|last=Metzger|first=Michael|title=Peavey Plaza makes list of endangered historic sites|url=http://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/2008/05/peavey-plaza-makes-list-endangered-historic-sites|newspaper=MinnPost|date=May 1, 2008}}
Revitalization
In 2011, joint plans by the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Orchestra management were criticized for excluding key designers such as Friedberg.{{cite news|last=Combs|first=Marianne|title=Architects, preservationists concerned over Peavey Plaza's future|url=http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/state-of-the-arts/archive/2011/10/architects-raise-concerns-over-peavey-plazas-future.shtml|newspaper=Minnesota Public Radio|date=October 18, 2011}} Following a public meeting where architect Tom Oslund proposed changing the plaza, Minneapolis activist Trish Brock launched the Save Peavey Plaza campaign.{{cite news|last1=Kinbar|first1=Sarah|title=Preservation Pulpit: The Heart of Minneapolis|url=http://www.modernmag.com/?p=2138|work=Modern Magazine|date=October 1, 2012}}{{cite news|last1=Rao|first1=Maya|title=Heritage Preservation Commission torpedoes Peavey Plaza plan|url=http://www.startribune.com/heritage-preservation-commission-torpedoes-peavey-plaza-plan/148027845/|work=Star Tribune|date=April 18, 2012}} Brock reached out to and united The Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Preservation Alliance to move forward with the preservation of Peavey Plaza.
In June 2012, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and The Cultural Landscape Foundation filed a lawsuit against the City of Minneapolis on the grounds that the planned demolition of Peavey Plaza would violate a Minnesota law protecting "historic resources" from "pollution, impairment or destruction."{{cite news|last=Royce|first=Graydon|title=Peavey Plaza lawsuit filed|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=July 6, 2012|accessdate=January 22, 2013|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/blogs/161569615.html}} In January 2013, the plaza was placed on the National Register of Historic Places; the lawsuit remained outstanding at that time.{{cite news|last=Peck|first=Claude|title=Peavey Plaza is listed on National Register|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=January 18, 2013|accessdate=January 22, 2013|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/187408611.html}}
On October 4, 2013, the lawsuit was resolved in favor of the Plaza's preservation. The settlement agreement included the following language:
{{blockquote|The parties agree that the goal of any new plan plan will be to preserve the Plaza through a rehabilitation that is consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties, and specifically with the Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes published by the U.S. National Park Service."{{cite web|url=http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=65ad8bccca9fde7ab0c1982d2&id=42a4da4970&e=a1e5c6c6dc|title=Victory! An Agreement on Peavey Plaza|website=us4.campaign-archive1.com}}}}
The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the plaza as one of ten historic sites saved in 2013.{{cite news|last=staff|title=A look at 10 historic sites save, 10 lost in 2013|newspaper=Associated Press as reported by the Post Crescent|date=January 5, 2014|page=F3}} The coalition that advocated to save the plaza won an Advocacy Award of Excellence from Docomomo US in 2014.
In November and December 2014, the plaza was used as the site of the "Minneapolis Holiday Market",{{Cite web |url=http://www.minneapolisholidaymarket.com/ |title=Home - Minneapolis Holiday Market |access-date=2015-06-10 |archive-date=2015-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611225541/http://www.minneapolisholidaymarket.com/ |url-status=dead }} a part of the Holidazzle Village which replaced the holiday parade held in previous years.{{cite web|url=http://www.downtownmpls.com/news_article/show/423201-downtown-minneapolis-welcomes-holidazzle-village-featuring-minneapolis-holiday-market|title=Minneapolis Downtown Council|website=mpls downtown council}}
Within the next year the city found the fountains and pool too difficult to maintain and drained them. The plaza remained open with the water features inactive until 2017 when the city and consultants finalized new plans for a redesign.{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Tom|title=Redo of Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis preserves and updates the once-popular park|url=http://www.startribune.com/redo-of-peavey-plaza-in-minneapolis-preserves-and-updates-the-once-popular-park/435862153/|newspaper=Star Tribune|date=July 21, 2017|accessdate=July 15, 2019}}
The $10 million renovation, completed in July 2019 by Coen+Partners with Fluidity Design and Tillett Lighting Design, preserved the original design of the plaza but improved its accessibility and sustainability, and brought new light to the southern end of Nicollet Mall. The rehabilitated Peavey Plaza features new and improved water fountains, a shallower 0.25-inch wading pool that can be easily drained for events, interactive changing lighting, ramps for accessibility, and a new entertainment plaza.{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/187408611.html|title=Peavey Plaza|website=City of Minneapolis|accessdate=July 15, 2019}} In 2022, the plaza's rehabilitation won a Modernism in America Civic Design Award of Excellence from Docomomo US.{{Cite web |title=Announcing the winners of the 2022 Modernism in America Awards |url=http://docomomo-us.org/news/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2022-modernism-in-america-awards |access-date=2022-09-12 |website=docomomo-us.org |language=en}} The non-profit organization Green Minneapolis operates and programs the plaza under contract to the City of Minneapolis.{{Cite web |title=Peavey Plaza – Green Minneapolis |url=https://www.greenminneapolis.org/projects/peavey-plaza/ |access-date=2022-09-12 |language=en}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Peavey Plaza}}
- {{HALS |survey=MN-2 |id=mn0603 |title=Peavey Park Plaza, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN |dwgs=9 |data=12}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160411032159/http://www.mnhs.org/shpo/nrhp/docs_pdfs/0044_peaveyplaza.pdf National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form]
- [https://www.tclf.org/landscapes/peavey-plaza Peavey Plaza at the Cultural Landscape Foundation]
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
Category:Brutalist architecture in Minnesota
Category:Buildings and structures in Minneapolis
Category:Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
Category:Event venues established in 1975
Category:Historic American Landscapes Survey in Minnesota
Category:Modernist architecture in Minnesota
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis