Docomomo US National Tour Day 2026: Plaza, Park & Art. Walking Tour, Downtown Minneapolis. Saturday October 10, 2026; 10am


Join Docomomo US/MN for a walking tour of some of Downtown Minneapolis’ modernist outdoor spaces.

Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026; 10am-11:30am

Registration is free and open to all.

We will begin at Peavey Plaza, M. Paul Friedberg’s 1975 “marvel of modernism” sunken plaza and amphitheater, renovated in 2019. We’ll then stroll along the Loring Greenway, also designed by M. Paul Friedberg, opened in 1979.

Arriving at Loring Park, we will be greeted by Robert Woodward & Phill Taranto’s Berger (Dandelion) Fountain completed in 1975 – currently slated for renovation.

​Crossing Loring Park, Siah Armajani’s 1988 Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge will bring us to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Walker Art Center (Edward Larrabe Barnes, 1971) and the notable former location of Ralph Rapson’s Guthrie Theater.

Part of the Docomomo US National Tour Day 2026 with events across the country focused on the 2026 Advocacy Theme of Recreation and Play, we will discuss how modernist landscapes in Minneapolis connect to the city’s renowned network of green spaces, supporting an active and playful population.

​About Docomomo US National Tour Day:
The only national program of its kind, Tour Day is devoted to the appreciation of modern architecture in the United States. Tours and events focused on architecture and design of the Modern Movement are hosted, coast-to-coast, by Docomomo US chapters, partners, and leading voices in preservation. 
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This year, Docomomo US focuses its attention on the rituals of Recreation and Play, highlighting the places where communities gather for recreation, activity, leisure, and joy. We will explore a wide range of sites, including informal and formal skate parks, roller-skating and hockey rinks, parks, bowling alleys, small amusement parks, swimming pools, and playgrounds. Art and sculpture incorporated into these spaces may also be highlighted. 

Additionally, the Recreation and Play theme will examine mid-twentieth-century sites shaped by segregation and exclusion. Places such as swimming pools, beach pavilions, and parks have documented histories of racial and social division – stories that remain essential to understanding how communities interacted with these spaces then and how they continue to do so today. 

Sites such as Embarcadero Plaza and the National Register-eligible Vaillancourt Fountain continue to face threats – from deferred maintenance and displacement to misunderstandings about cultural activities like skateboarding, which are too often viewed as nuisances rather than historic sites of creative expression, exercise, and youth culture.

To ensure that our artistic and cultural identities endure, it is vital that we assess these landscapes from the second half of the 20th century while they still extant.

In response, Docomomo US will spotlight smaller, more intimate landscapes, parks, and recreational environments – that have been overlooked for historic designation or only recently eligible for the National Register – where people can escape daily stresses and engage with nature, community, and play.