Click on image for larger image.
In 1983, downtown Minneapolis was undergoing a renovation. A new building at the city's center called, um, City Center, was in the air. To further celebrate, they (whoever "they" were) held a contest to design the manhole covers for this exciting project at the heart of downtown, with the theme "Entertainment in Minneapolis". Many manhole covers were cast.
A contest was held and the manhole covers displayed in August of 1984. None was deemed worthy. So they used all of them.
And then the manhole covers were all but forgotten. People walk over them every day without notice. Every time I've taken a picture or pointed one out to someone, everyone -- everyone -- is surprised.
Nicollet, looking South at City Center Nicollet Mall, during one of the Thursday Farmer's Markets, at City Center at the corner of 6th St. Look Down! |
Look down.
Manhole Cover A One of the manhole covers around City Center, from 1983 My designation of these as "A, B, C etc" is arbitrary. |
For artist names and other attempts at photographing the manhole covers, look at sewerhistory.org.
Art Inventories Catalog claims that 11 manhole covers were built for the theme "Entertainment in Minneapolis" and installed in 1984. But there are more.
Continued in City Center Manhole Covers Part II.