Call to Action: Submit public comments to the City of Minneapolis Historic Preservation Commission to VOTE YES for Glendale Townhomes Historic Designation.

Dear Public Housing Tenants and Allies:

Please submit your letters and public comments so Glendale Townhomes can finally receive its historical landmark designation from the Minneapolis City Council. Glendale Townhomes is significant for several reasons, including residents' role in shaping Minneapolis's labor and housing history. The earliest public housing complex, constructed by the Minnesota Housing and Redevelopment Authority in 1952, was built to address the housing crisis in Minneapolis after World War II. Since then, Glendale residents have historically supported community-based efforts that have sustained and protected the townhomes.

Email or mail your comments and letters to:

Rob Skalecki, the Senior City Planner robert.skalecki@minneapolismn.gov

Historic Preservation, City of Minneapolis,

Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED)

505 4th Avenue South, #320, Minneapolis, MN 55415 Office: 612-673-5179

www.minneapolismn.gov/cped

We have also included an email template that you can use when you click "START WRITING". Feel free to add your personal voice to it and then send the comment to Rob Skalecki through this platform.

Background and History:

Since 2015, when Hess Roise published a study and eligibility assessment that found Glendale Townhomes eligible for a historical landmark, as it stands as Section 9 Public Housing Community, the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA), who funded the study, have dismissed its findings and continuously railroad Glendale families.

After many setbacks, in March 2020, the City’s Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) voted 5-3 to recommend that the City’s housing committee, the BHIZ Committee, designate Glendale as a historic district and protect it. After years of waiting to advocate, we discovered the process had expired, and another nomination had to be submitted, bringing us to this point.

On June 4, 2024, the Heritage Preservation Commission unanimously approved the designation of Glendale Townhomes as a historic district. The Department of Community Planning & Economic Development (CPED) recommended against the designation alongside the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority. MPHA went as far as using our own research as a way to preserve Glendale’s history while they are planning to demolish history. Under the leadership of Mayor Jacob Frey, CPED continues to recommend against designating Glendale Townhomes as a historic district. Less than 5% of the historic landmarks in Minneapolis belong to or are about Black and Brown communities.

CPED’s report cites a 2020 SHPO letter to argue that there is no architectural integrity to designate as a local landmark. However, architectural integrity is not the only area of criterion by which a property can be designated as historic. According to the article “Repairing National Register Nominations: Underrepresented Communities and Integrity” published in the National Council for Public History Blog, there is an effort to make nominations more inclusive and equitable. When considering places with ties to underrepresented communities such as public housing residents, compromised elements of design and architectural integrity are cited as evidence of a lack of sufficient integrity. Instead, the authors argue that “stories related to location, setting, feeling, and association are usually more relevant.” As of 2024, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office has told DG&PHC that they believe a compelling argument could be made for this property in the area of Social History or Ethnic Heritage within a broader context than post-WWII housing.” CPED has told us that they will not be doing any further research, despite calls to make this process of designation more equitable, and will instead use their previous study, which did NOT recommend Glendale Townhomes for local designation under the criteria of architectural integrity. Despite CPED’s recommendation, the Heritage Preservation Commission went ahead and recommended Glendale Townhomes for designation, citing the integrity of location and setting.

Regarding this call to action, on Tuesday April 8th, CPED is bringing their final report to HPC for a yes or no vote. Please submit your comments to support Glendale.

We thank you for your support.