Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID) Announces 2016 Greening & Public Realm Award Winners

MINNEAPOLIS (September 20, 2016) — The Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID) announced today its 7^th annual Greening & Public Realm Award winners, a group that included four new winners among the 12 categories decided by an interactive public vote.

The Greening Awards aim to showcase greening efforts by organizations and companies that help beautify the downtown area through enhancing the public realm. Among the 12 award winners [full list below] in this year’s categories are first-time winners The Living Bus Shelter (Small Green Space Activation), The Times They Are A-Changin’ — Mural by Eduardo Kobra (Public Art), Wells Fargo Towers (Streetscape Green Infrastructure) and The Commons (Public Realm Improvement).

This year’s winners also includes Loring Greenway in the Best Large Green Space category—its seventh consecutive year earning a Greening Award. Target Plaza South Entry (Small Green Space) won its sixth Greening Award, and The Local (Outdoor Café) won its fifth.

“Each year the Greening Awards offer a chance for us to recognize and showcase organizations that truly help take the vibrancy of our downtown to a new level,” said Steve Cramer, President & CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council & Downtown Improvement District. “We congratulate all who were nominated and selected as finalists, and we look forward to seeing what enhanced green spaces will be part of next year’s vote.”

Winners will receive a commemorative Greening Award created by Wood from the Hood, a Minneapolis-based company that reclaims discarded trees from urban neighborhoods and creates high-quality wood products. Each award will display the year the award was issued.

The Minneapolis DID accepted public nominations for green spaces through the middle of August, and finalists were announced on August 25. Voting for finalists remained open from August 25 through September 14.

The finalists, nominated by the public, were selected by members of the Minneapolis DID staff based on criteria including overall year-over-year enhancements as well as continued excellence in adding vibrancy to the public realm.

This year’s results include the following winners:

Small Green Space Activation
• The Living Bus Shelter* — 30.78%
• The Loon Street Café* — 28.11%
• Parklet at 13th & Hennepin (Espresso Royale & Salon Rouge) * — 27.41%
• Living Room Station* —13.7%

Small Green Space
• Target Plaza South Entry — 41.28%
• Federal Courthouse Plaza — 36.58%
• American Academy of Neurology — 22.13%

Large Green Space Activation
• Target Field Station — 43.12%
• Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza — 28.94%
• Convention Center Plaza — 27.93%

Large Green Space
• Loring Greenway — 36.92%
• The Commons* — 34.99%
• Triangle Park — 28.09%

Façade Greening
• Kenosha Building — 40.73%
• JB Hudson — 26.88%
• MSFA Parking Ramp* — 19.72%
• 4Marq Apartments* — 12.68%

Public Art
• The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra* — 63.62%
• Gold Medal Park — 20.14%
• The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)* —10.98%
• Greg Gossel Mural* — 5.26%

Outdoor Café
• The Local — 40.16%
• Bachelor Farmer* — 32.22%
• 8th Street Grill — 18.53%
• Mason’s Restaurant Barre — 9.09%

Streetscape Greening
• Target Plaza Commons — 49.14%
• Central Lutheran Church — 38.51%
• The Carlyle — 12.34%

Streetscape Green Infrastructure
• Wells Fargo Towers* — 42.84%
• 1st Street North Streetscape Improvements — 37.99%
• Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin* — 19.17%

Entryway Greening
• City Hall — 60.84%
• Textile Building* —  23.33%
• Lindsay Lofts* — 15.83%

Public Realm Improvement
• The Commons* — 41.37%
• The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Mural by Eduardo Kobra* — 29.2%
• Bachelor Farmer Outdoor Café* — 7.92%
• Wells Fargo Towers Streetscapes* — 7.09%
• The Horn (Medtronic Plaza Sculpture)* — 4.26%
• Boulevard Gardens at 4th & Hennepin* —  4.02%
• 4Marq Apartments Façade Greening* — 3.43%
• Greg Gossel Mural* — 1.89%
• MSFA Parking Ramp* — 0.83%

Best Neighborhood
• Loring Park — 33.18%
• Mill District — 32.83%
• North Loop — 16.99%
• Elliot Park — 16.99%

* = New Nominee in this category