Title
Renaming the portion of St. Anthony Avenue between Western Avenue North and Rice Street to Rondo Avenue.
Body
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of St. Paul desires to rename St. Anthony Avenue between Western Avenue North to Rice Street and restore its former name: Rondo Avenue; and
WHEREAS, in the mid-1900's the City’s Rondo Avenue neighborhood was a thriving center of African American life in Minnesota, and was an important and historical location of African American commerce and culture; and
WHEREAS, the construction of the Interstate 94 corridor through the Rondo neighborhood resulted in the destruction of many businesses owned by African Americans and further displaced hundreds of neighborhood families from their homes; and
WHEREAS, in 1964, in conjunction with the construction of I-94, the City Council adopted a resolution to rename Rondo Avenue to St. Anthony Avenue; and
WHEREAS, the City Council believes, where possible and appropriate, that reclaiming and preserving Saint Paul’s historic cultural identity to be in the public interest; and
WHEREAS, prior to 1964, Rondo Avenue extended from Western Avenue North to Rice Street;
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that returning St. Anthony Avenue back to Rondo Avenue will help to reclaim the cultural history of the Rondo neighborhood and is therefore in the public’s interest; and
WHEREAS, the City Council further finds that renaming St. Anthony Avenue from Western Avenue North to Rice Street back to Rondo Avenue is a necessary step to reclaiming the Rondo neighborhood’s lost cultural and historical identities; and
WHEREAS, Legislative Code § 73.04 (11) requires the Heritage Preservation Commission to review and comment on proposed street names; and
WHEREAS, on January 30th, 2024, the Heritage Preservation Commission reviewed the proposal to rename St. Anthony Avenue to Rondo Avenue and unanimously approved the proposed name change for the reasons set forth by the Heritage Preservation C...
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