Minneapolis’ Lake Harriet Band Shell is back to its old familiar blue.
As part of a yearlong renovation, workers have turned the band shell from a light brown color back to a grayish blue hue, similar to what covered the structures in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The band shell has also been reroofed with blue wood shingles and its windows have also been updated to bring air flow to the stage and add safety measures to prevent birds from running into the glass, said Francisca Pass, project designer for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Bathrooms have also been renovated in the pavilion so that they are accessible. Other renovations continue on surrounding buildings.
“The band shell area is iconic, and park visitors and neighborhood residents really care deeply about it,” Pass said. “It means a lot to have it restored and looking great. We’ve heard from hundreds of people who are glad to have it repaired and delighted with how it looks.”
More than 1,500 people had signed a petition to change the color as part of a renovation project to the band shell and nearby buildings.
There was no record of the original blue color, and park staff worked to match it as best they could, landing on a color called Bluestone.
Steve Brandt, a member of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation, started the petition and said he’s glad to see the structures changed back to blue.
“I have run around Lake Harriet several thousand times in the last 47 years, so it’s a familiar icon for me,” said Brandt, a retired Star Tribune journalist. He said he’s looking forward to seeing the blue building: “Sitting there on a June night with sun, wispy clouds floating across the horizon, a blue sky and a blue lake, and this iconic building housing wonderful musicians.”
