![Peavey Plaza will likely be saved from demolition, after preservationists successfully fought the city in court. ] Jenni Pinkley, Star Tribune, Minneapolis, MN 8/01/13](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/HU3RS5AYLL6VUBGIERSSEBR7PE.jpg?&w=1080)
Above: Peavey Plaza in Summer 2013.
Four years after Minneapolis' plans to blow up downtown's Peavey Plaza ran into a historic preservation roadblock, city officials are ready for a new approach.
The multi-level concrete jungle on Nicollet Mall has sat derelict for years, without functioning fountains, in what would otherwise be a prime downtown gathering space. The city is now seeking a design firm to repair the fountains, restore the original reflecting pond and generally spruce up the remainer of the space.
The construction work excluding design expenses is expected to cost about $6 million, with the goal of completing the project by fall 2018, according to the request for services. About $2 million of that will come from a state grant.
The project will stick to the basics of restoring the plaza, as recommended by a historic structures study completed this August. That would include make it handicap-accessible.
The city is still mulling whether to pursue additional, event-related options recommended in that study. Those include installing equipment for a winter skating rink, and adding platforms to accomodate temporary stages.
Proposals are due by September 9.
The city originally sought design proposals in 2012, resulting in a plan that would demolish the plaza to make way for a shallower, more inviting space. But preservationists filed a lawsuit to stop the plan, and successfuly listed the 1975 property on the National Register of Historic Places.
