St. Paul’s Parks and Rec is trying to rename Osborn Plaza and they need your help.
The department is looking for residents’ input on a new name for the city-owned urban park at 376 Wabasha Street North. People can submit suggestions through a two-minute survey online at stpaul.gov.
The survey will close around Oct. 1.
Brett Hussong, a principal designer in the Parks and Recreation design and construction division and the project manager for Osborn Plaza, said a potential name change could help emphasize to residents that the plaza is a city-owned park.
Once the survey goes through, the design team will do community engagement on the most popular names. Once a name is chosen, it will be approved by the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Commission and then the City Council.
“I think the reason for us doing this is because I think there is some confusion about whether this is a publicly owned park,” Hussong said. “We actually went to the farmer’s market this weekend and a couple of people knew this was park land, but the majority of people didn’t. So I think it would help create a little more awareness that this is public property and its park land and it’s open to the public.”
Revitalization project
The name change and the new design are a part of an overall revitalization project, Hussong said.
The design will have a new sound system, decorative lighting that can change color, and more space where new art can be added in the future.
“It’ll bring an interesting feel and warmth if we can have lighting and sound,” Hussong said.
This isn’t the first time the plaza has had a name change. The building was originally named the Osborn Plaza after Merritt J. Osborn, who founded the Economics Laboratory, which was later named Ecolab in 1923, reported the Pioneer Press.
The name changed in 1998 when the St. Paul City Council renamed it to the Ecolab Plaza and the Capital Centre Plaza in recognition of the company’s size and influence.
In 2022, Ecolab asked the city council to restore the building’s name to Osborn Plaza.
Hussong said the final design for the plaza is expected to be released soon. The remodeling project is expected to be completed by late summer or early fall of 2026.
The renovation and the possible name change will help people in St. Paul find an additional place for leisure and recreation, he said.
“I think everyone needs trees and green space, and people need to get away. They are utilized as that amenity to be out in nature,” Hussong said.
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