Call to Action: Urge the Minneapolis City Council to VOTE YES for Glendale Townhomes Historic Designation.

Dear Public Housing Tenants and Allies:

The City Council will be voting on the historic designation for Glendale Townhomes on May 15th, 2025.

HPC (Minneapolis Heritage Preservation) Commission voted YES on April 22, 2025

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.

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 undermine 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, displace, and erase the 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 State Historic Preservation Office (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 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.” Despite Mayor Frey and CPED recommendation against the historic designation, the City appointed (HPC) recommended the Minneapolis BHIZ Committee) and the City wide Council to vote in favor of Glendale Townhomes for designation, citing the integrity of location and setting.

The SHPO recommended investigating several themes and programs to support eligibility under Criterion A, including Glendale resident formation of and participation in Glendale University, a Head Start Program, Daycare, and Little Co-Op Store. The SHPO also suggested additional research to explore how and when Glendale townhomes supported waves of Black residents, Black immigrants, and other immigrant groups. (See letter from University of Minnesota’s faculty and students of the Heritage Studies & Public History Department here)

Furthermore, the historic designation does not prevent MPHA from rehabilitating and making improvements to the units (see MN State Historic Preservation Office’s FAQ here).

Please let the Minneapolis City Council know that you want them to vote YES on the historic designation for Glendale Townhomes.

The City Council will vote on Tuesday, May 15th, 2025 at 9:00AM and will be held at 250 S. 4th St. Minneapolis, MN Room 350.

We thank you for your support.