The sunken plaza and its amphitheater were designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg and built in 1975 alongside Orchestra Hall.

[2] The Cultural Landscape Foundation has deemed the plaza a "marvel of modernism"[3] and it was named one of the top ten most endangered historical sites in Minnesota before its rehabilitation in 2019.

[4] In 2011, joint plans by the City of Minneapolis and Minnesota Orchestra management were criticized for excluding key designers such as Friedberg.

The settlement agreement included the following language: The parties agree that the goal of any new plan plan will be to preserve the Plaza through a rehabilitation that is consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties, and specifically with the Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes published by the U.S. National Park Service.

The plaza remained open with the water features inactive until 2017 when the city and consultants finalized new plans for a redesign.