Now that the context study is complete, we will prepare documents for the National Park Service. We received a federal grant to hire a consultant to prepare:

• A Multiple Property Documentation Form
• Three National Register nominations

We issued a Request for Proposals in July 2025. This third phase will likely finish by 2027.

• Learn more about properties that are already locally designated in Minneapolis
• Learn more about properties that are already on the National Register of Historic Places

This project is being supported by the Historic Preservation Fund’s Underrepresented Communities Grant, which is administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The Historic Preservation Fund has funded more than $2 billion since its inception in 1977 towards historic preservation grants.

Visit the National Park Service website to learn more about Underrepresented Communities Grants

Cozy Bar and Lounge, located at 522 Plymouth Ave. N.
Photo credit: Norton & Peel, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF)

An MPDF helps organize information about properties that are thematically related. It creates a framework for future National Register nominations. The MPDF will be about African American heritage in Minneapolis. The MPDF will include:

• A history section that is taken from the context study
• The types of properties that could be listed in the National Register related to this topic

Event outside The Way Community Center in 1985.
Photo credit: Charles Chamblis, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

National Register nomination process

We will use the MPDF to nominate three properties in Minneapolis to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.  Property owners must consent to nominating their property. The three properties include:

• Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Building
• Phyllis Wheatley Community Center
• Harry Davis, Sr. House

The National Register of Historic Places is different from the City’s list of landmarks and historic districts.

Learn more about the National Register of Historic Places

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Building
Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society

Current local landmarks

Local landmarks and historic districts are regulated by the City. These Minneapolis properties are locally designated and related to African American heritage:

• Fire Station 24
• Lee House
• Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
• Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church
• Lena O. Smith House
• St. James AME Church
• Tilsenbilt Homes Historic District

Learn more about local designation

Lena O. Smith, a lawyer and community leader.
Photo credit: MNopedia

Current National Register listings

Listing in the National Register is honorary. These Minneapolis properties are listed and related to African American heritage:

• Lena O. Smith House (added in 1991)
• Lee House (added in 2014)
• Sound 80 (added in 2020)
• Hiawatha Golf Course (added in 2023)
• Tifereth B’nai Jacob Synagogue-First Church of God in Christ (added in 2024)

Photo credits: Hennepin County Library, Lange Johnson Development, and Norton & Peel, courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society