New owners of Calhoun Square renaming property, name and signage removed

Tommy Wiita
[KSTP]

The new owners who purchased Calhoun Square in October 2019 said on their website Friday that they are exploring many changes to the Uptown area, including a name change. 

"…Northland Partners have been evaluating numerous ways to strengthen and enhance the property to better serve the community. Among the changes we have been exploring since the purchase is renaming the property," a statement on the Calhoun Square website says. "As a reflection of our support and solidarity with the city of Minneapolis and the Black Lives Matter movement, we have decided to expedite the process." 

Effective immediately, the Calhoun Square name and signage will be removed from the building. 

The name Calhoun is a reference to John C. Calhoun, a former U.S. vice president who defended slavery. The lake near the shopping center, the largest in Minneapolis, once bore the name Lake Calhoun, before an effort in recent years restored the lake's Dakota name, Bde Maka Ska.

"A property named for a known racist and champion of slavery has no place in Minneapolis or anywhere in our society," Northland Partners said. 

A new name for the property as well as new signage and plans for the redevelopment of the property will be revealed at a later date. 

Lisa Bender, the president of the Minneapolis City Council, tweeted that the renaming of the shopping center is a "small but significant change."