Calls grow for return of Lake Harriet Bandshell's original blue hue
MINNEAPOLIS – For more than a century, the Lake Harriet Bandshell has brought members of the community together. But over the last week, some neighbors are calling for a major change.
Many summer nights have been spent around the bandshell, filling the lake with music. But it's not hard to see that the bandshell has seen better days.
"It's a big deal for this area of the city, even if it's not the city's most pressing problem," said Minneapolis resident Steve Brandt.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board already has plans to improve the bandshell and surrounding pavilion. Bids are opening up for the project this fall, with construction expected to start in the spring. The focus on the project is shingles and lighting, but residents want to see something else fixed.
"It doesn't fit. You drive around the lake, you look across the lake and every time you look at it, you just think 'Oh my gosh, it should be blue,'" said resident Teresa Shand.
Brandt has gone as far as to make a petition to call on the board to take the bandshell back to the blue color it originally had before before a 2004 refurbishment.
"I see the color as just another improvement that can be made that'll make it an even better bandshell for the rest of this century," he said.
In a statement, the board said, "The MPRB is aware there are community members who want a return to the blue grey color, and that color is being considered. The MPRB has not made a final decision but expects to do so by late fall or early winter."
But everyone WCCO spoke with Tuesday, and hundreds online, say what's brown should be blue again.
"The paint needs attention, and if you're going to do it, let's do something different," said resident Tom Gallant.
"You just ask yourself, 'Why? Why did they pick this color?' It's not attractive [laughs]!" Shand said.
The MPRB says improvements to the bandshell will last through next summer and into the fall. They say they will try to keep the bandshell and concessions open as much as possible during the renovation.
