New owners of Calhoun Square say name will be scrapped
The new owner of the Calhoun Square shopping complex in Uptown Minneapolis have said the name will be changed.
In a statement on the Calhoun Square website Friday, Northpond Partners said it has been evaluating changes it could make since buying the complex in November, which included the possible name change.
"As a reflection of our support and solidarity with the city of Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter movement, we have decided to expedite this process," it said.
"The Calhoun Square name and signage will be removed from the building, effective immediately."
The center took its name from John C. Calhoun, the former vice president and senator who was a supporter of slavery and while secretary of war formulated a failed plan to deport Native Americans west of the Mississippi River.
"A property named for a known racist and champion of slavery has no place in Minneapolis or anywhere in our society," Northpond Partners said.
"A new name for the property as well as new signage and our plans for the redevelopment of the property will be unveiled at a future date."
The change in the name follows the much-publicized name change for near Lake Calhoun to its original Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska.
This name change was affirmed in a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision.
