Peavey Plaza settlement reached, ends prolongued lawsuit
The Minneapolis City Council has approved a settlement agreement between the city, the Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota over the fate of Peavey Plaza, the modernist public square situated next to Orchestra Hall.
According to a statement released by the Preservation Alliance, the three parties "agree to work together on a new plan that maintains Peavey’s historic character while rehabilitating it to address access, maintenance, and programming issues."
Designed in 1975 by M. Paul Friedberg, the plaza was approved for demolition in 2012 to make way for a new public space designed by noted architect Tom Oslund.
At the time, city officials argued the plaza was obsolete, inaccessible and conducive to crime.
In June of last year the Washington, D.C.-based Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota filed suit to block the demolition. In January the plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Preservationists say the plaza is one of the finest surviving examples of Friedbergs work from the period.
Correction: An earlier version of this post stated the CLF and PAM filed the lawsuit in January 2013. It has been changed to show the correct date - June 2012.
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