Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent vote to rename Marcy Park. Voting closed at Midnight on February 1, 2024.

In the coming weeks, MHNA will work the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to see how we can move forward with renaming this newly-remodeled park. This will not be a quick process, as it is up to the Commissioners on the MPRB to approve any possible name change. We will keep you apprised of any status updates on this park.

The final vote tally looks like this:

Here is a copy of the neighborhood wide mailing that was delivered via USPS in early January:

BACKGROUND

Located at the intersection of 11th Avenue SE and 7th Street SE, Marcy Park recently underwent a significant transformation that better suits the current population of our neighborhood. While the park retained its small playground, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board have added a full basketball court, the city's first dog park in 10 years, a hammock area, pollinator friendly plantings, and new bike racks.

Despite this much needed facelift, the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association is moving forward to with an attempt to rename this park.

This park was originally the site of Marcy School, before the institution moved (briefly) to the Como neighborhood, and then to its current location, near Holmes Park. After the school was removed from this site, a park took its place, remaining with the name "Marcy." This has led to considerable confusion amongst our residents and guests, who often believe that Marcy Park is next to the current school about 15 blocks away. We would like to eliminate this confusion once and for all.

Secondly, William Learned Marcy was the Secretary of War under President Polk, and later, Secretary of State under President Pierce. Marcy famously coined the phrase, "to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy." He never stepped foot in the state of Minnesota.

Reflecting upon this, MHNA has begin a process of determining a better name for this park. While we are able to put suggestions forward, it is up the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to officially rename it. 

Our petition has been available since late 2022. You may have some seen the Star Tribune's coverage from last November: Marcy-Holmes neighborhood group seeks to rename park named for slavery advocate.

The following list is not exhaustive, but is a generalized summary of some of the most trending suggestions we have received since last year. We have categorized them, however broadly, across 3 areas: 1) Geographic, 2) Qualitative, and 3) Associative.

Geographic suggestions seem rather self explanatory. "Qualitative" refers to some quality or element that individuals have attributed to the area, while "Associative" largely has to do with the park's proximity to the U of M's East Bank Campus. You may choose one of these names when filling out the petition below, or add your own.

MARCY PARK IN THE NEWS:

• Marcy-Holmes neighborhood group seeks to rename park named for slavery advocate
• Marcy-Holmes Park renaming and renovations