RONDO

COMMEMORATIVE PLAZA

Saint Paul, Minnesota

5,662 SF, 2016-2018

Rondo Commemorative Plaza is a space that ACKNOWLEDGES the violent deconstruction of St. Paul’s historic and first Black neighborhood Rondo, REMEMBERS the people and places that once resided there and INVITES the whole community to celebrate the future of Rondo. The project was built in partnership and close collaboration within the design team as phase one of a larger vision stewarded by Rondo Avenue Inc. (RAI). The project provides a series of spaces that allow people to gather, reflect, play, perform and learn. The plaza sets a powerful precedent for the capacity of a landscape to reconcile devastating histories while transforming and reimagining the futures of neighborhoods and cities and a movement towards reconciliation and justice.
Completed in August 2018, the Rondo Commemorative Plaza embodies the resilience of this small urban community, conceived as an outdoor community room with a series of curated spaces for people to gather, reflect, play, perform, and learn. Like many of the properties lost to Interstate-94, the pocket park is the size of a of typical Saint Paul residential lot (5,662 SF). The program is manifested through a series of interpretive spaces, each interconnected to tell the story of the past, present, and future of the Rondo Neighborhood.

The Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul was the heart of the Black community. By the 1950s, this cohesive and self-sustained hamlet was home to more than 80% of the city’s Black population and a host of businesses and civic organizations. The 1956 Federal Highway Act, authorized construction of 41,000 miles of highways across the U.S. The system targeted underrepresented communities, giving urban planners the opportunity to clean up “slums”, decimating thriving Black communities, reshaping the physical, political, and racial landscape.
Two routes were considered for I-94: an industrial corridor without residences, and another through the Rondo neighborhood. Residents were forced to sell their homes/businesses at a fraction of the property value. Those who refused to leave were met with sledgehammers by police.
In 1980, Rondo Avenue Inc. was established to preserve its legacy and hold an annual community festival. The building and planning of the Rondo Commemorative Plaza involved many local and national stakeholders and built community connections at both scales

Over the past few years, the project has catalyzed significant change in the neighborhood and city. The Plaza is heavily programmed through the spring, summer and winter with a wide range of community events including hosting a parade stop and large gatherings during Rondo Days, regular music performances, and neighborhood gatherings. The parcel and building to the south was purchased by Rondo Avenue Inc to extend their mission as a cultural center and serves as an event space, and also houses the Rondo Research Collection and museum. The establishment of this new endeavor also founded their commitment to Reconnecting Rondo, a vision for the establishment of a land bridge across the freeway to rebuild the lost neighborhood. After extensive lobbying to the state, they were allocated $6.2 million as part of begin project predevelopment for the creation of a land bridge over I-94 that will establish a new public realm with commercial and residential uses.

PROJECT DETAILS

Location Saint Paul, Minnesota

Client Rondo Avenue Inc.

Team TEN x TEN, 4RM+ULA, Roger Cummings, Seitu Ken Jones

Area 5,662 SF

Status Completed in 2018

Photos Morgan Sheff Photography

AWARDS