Main Street History: Downtown Minneapolis' Peavy Plaza

MINNEAPOLIS — In 1975, landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg designed and completed one of the most interesting examples of modernist architecture in Minnesota.

The Peavy Plaza on Nicollet Mall combines an amphitheater, park, and waterworks into one public space. Opening a year after its neighbor — Orchestra Hall — the plaza quickly became a popular spot for downtown workers, tourists, and shoppers to hang out during the day.

Over the decades, the plaza fell into deep decay and the water feature was shut off in the early 2000s. Much of the greenery within the public space had died, and the concrete slabs were falling apart. City officials considered demolishing it, but preservation groups sued and successfully got the plaza added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

With demolition no longer an option, a revitalization plan for the plaza was formed. A mix of public and private funds was secured for the project, with $4 million from the city, $2 million from the state, and $4 million in private donations collected by the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Green Minneapolis.

Construction began in May 2018. Crews restored the plaza’s fountains, updated the lighting, and fixed the amphitheater with more durable and environmentally friendly paving material.

The plaza was also brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The project took place alongside the renovation of Orchestra Hall and the upgrades to Nicollet Mall.

"Every world-class city needs a world-class downtown, and our new Peavey Plaza is a fitting capstone to Nicollet Mall’s redesign that helps advance that vision for Minneapolis," said Mayor Jacob Frey when the plaza reopened in May 2019.

"The upgrades will give downtown a more accessible, pedestrian-friendly, and vibrant space while honoring the historic features that make it an icon of modernist architecture."

Steve Cramer, president of Minneapolis Downtown Council, noted that the "water features and greenery provide a great spot to gather with friends and colleagues, see an event or simply sit ‘away from it all’ but right in the heart of the city. It’s a great example of another public-private collaboration that moves our city forward in a positive direction."

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