New deal on Peavey Plaza
At least Orchestra Hall's neighbor has reached a settlement.
The Minneapolis City Council agreed Friday to rehab the site instead of demolish it, as the city had originally wanted. Negotiations have been underway for months with members of the Preservation of Alliance of Minnesota and the Washington D.C.-based Cultural Landscape Foundation, which argued that Peavey Plaza has historic importance. The deal is expected to be approved by the city council.
According to the Star Tribune, the two sides agreed on a list of $2.3 million worth of improvements such as wheelchair accessibility and rebuilding broken stairs. They say they will continue working together to raise the money needed to fix up the plaza.
Two years ago, the city met with opposition when it unveiled plans to raise $10 million to redo the space with sunken pools, lines of dancing fountains and a video wall.
Earlier this year. the National Register of Historic Places recognized the 1975 creation of M. Paul Friedberg as a gem of Modernist design.
The New York Times reported on the debate in May 2012.
