The east bank of the Minneapolis campus is getting a breath of fresh air as a square of green space takes shape on the better part of a block. The cracked and crumbling asphalt of the parking lot south of the McNamara Alumni Center is now being transformed into the Gateway Plaza, a multi-use open square bounded by Oak Street, Washington Avenue, Walnut Street, and the McNamara Alumni Center. Construction should be well under way by fall and could be finished before winter.

Although in July the primary work consisted of tearing up asphalt and moving piles of dirt, soon the plaza area will begin to take shape with trees, grass, granite-paved spaces, a tiered pool of water, fiber-optic lines set into the ground for night lighting, and perhaps a landmark monument. Alumni center architect Antoine Predock, who is working with Minnesota firm LHB Engineering on the plaza design, envisions a 90-foot-tall tower of granite, copper, and glass rising at the corner of Oak Street and Washington Avenue. Although private funds still must be raised to make the monument happen, plans approved by the Board of Regents call for a tower of granite paralleling a slightly shorter tower of copper. Between will be shards of glass that will reflect and distribute light. A light at the top would be a symbolic "beacon bright and clear" —as sung in "Hail! Minnesota"—and provide a spotlight for a granite stage. The tower’s foundation will be built into the plaza this year, although the monument itself may be several years from completion.

"This will be a complement to the alumni center in that it will be a connector between the University and the community," says Larry Laukka, volunteer CEO of the University Gateway Corporation, which is raising money and paying for the plaza. "It is a chance to open our doors and let the community and passers-by get a glimpse into campus."

Bill Morrish, former director of the University’s Design Center for the American Urban Landscape, agrees. "This is not only about enhancing the University, but also the interaction with the community around it," he says. "It says both ‘you’re welcome to be here,’ and that you are arriving on campus. It creates a space where the two worlds come together."

Although the University owns the land, all the funds for building the plaza are coming from private sources. The alumni involvement is meaningful, Morrish says. "Alumni are the long-term citizenry of the University," he points out. "They are not just leaving behind a column or a statue. They are leaving behind an open door, and that is a very powerful statement."