Phyllis Wheatley Community Center National Register Nomination

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions, which may contain errors in names and numbers.

What: a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in Ward 5, the third of three nominations from a federally funded project to document underrepresented communities.
Where it stands: on October 20, 2026 the Heritage Preservation Commission voted 8-0 that the property meets at least one eligibility criterion and directed staff to send a letter to the State Historic Preservation Officer.
Next: State Review Board hearing on November 10, 2026.

Prepared by consultants with a National Park Service underrepresented communities grant; selected with the Minneapolis African American Heritage Work Group and center staff. City planning staff (CPED) is the applicant.
One-story brick building built in 1970 and attached to an adjoining school; the center's history runs 102 years from its 1924 start as a settlement house serving the city's Black community.
Recommended significance: Criterion A (social history and ethnic heritage, Black), period of significance 1970 to 1976. The community center and a mechanical outbuilding are contributing resources; the playground is not.
No written public comments. A vice president of the center thanked the commission and staff. Andrea Burke's staff presented; commissioners voiced support without debate.
The commission acts as a certified local government: it comments, and the mayor transmits a report to the state office within 60 days of notice.

About 10 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-20 - Heritage Preservation Commission	10

2026-10-20 - Heritage Preservation Commission - commission voted 8-0 on the eligibility recommendation after a short public hearing; no opposition.