Peavey Plaza named marvel of modernism

by Cathy Wurzer, Minnesota Public Radio

Peavey Plaza in downtown Minneapolis has been named one of the 2008 "Marvels of Modernism" by the Cultural Landscape Foundation.

The plaza, which sits below street level next to Orchestra Hall, is one of 12 public spaces from around the country that have received this designation.

The plaza was built in 1975.

Here is an excerpt from an essay posted on the Cultural Landscape Foundation website that explains why Peavey Plaza deserves this honor:

"During the successful urban renewal projects of the 1960s, the city of Minneapolis hired landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg to design Peavey Plaza to connect with Nicollet Mall, the city's new downtown pedestrian mall.

"While the plaza was designed as a 'front yard' for the Minnesota Orchestra's new concert hall, Peavey Plaza became an urban oasis for downtown inhabitants. Waterfalls absorbed city noise and small garden rooms, delineated by groves of honey locusts, created a sense of human intimacy that softened the modern angular surfaces. Today, pressure to further develop downtown threatens the survival of Peavey Plaza. The public needs to understand the site's significance, or else it will see the plaza's original Modernist design destroyed."

Broadcast Dates

• Morning Edition, 12/05/2008, 6:20 a.m.