Battle Over Modernism Comes to Minneapolis

Designed by M. Paul Friedberg, and constructed in 1975, the two-acre outdoor public space offered "city dwellers an 'urban oasis' at a time when many Americans were re-embracing city life." A victim of neglect, and changing codes and functional requirements, "The plaza has become another battleground in the wars being fought around the country between preservationists determined to save what they see as underappreciated Modernist designs and cities and developers pushing to move on."  

According to Shattuck, "Even as preservationists argue for rehabilitation of what they consider the finest surviving example of Mr. Friedberg's work, the City of Minneapolis, which owns 75 percent of it, has commissioned a significant redesign of the space."