Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
The Cities Blog
Laura Yuen

Twin Cities historic sites vie for Facebook votes

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Online voting for 25 local historic sites began today on Facebook, but some eager mouse-clickers can't seem to cast their votes.

There's plenty of excitement fueling the Partners in Preservation contest. The historic sites -- which include beloved buildings, parks, churches, museums and other places -- are vying for a piece of $1 million in grants. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced the 25 eligible places today.

Yet the voting process is confounding some would-be voters. The contest has also apologized for a "temporary glitch" that caused problems for some users.

[image]

American Express spokeswoman Caitlin Lowie says this was the first time the contest has moved its voting platform to Facebook, and the glitch was resolved within 15 minutes. The volume of traffic could have contributed to the problems, she said: "Within an hour, more than 1,000 people went to vote, which we really weren't expecting."

What can we say? Minnesotans love their history.

Glitches aside, the voting process is not intuitive. Here are some tips:

You must first "like" the Partners in Preservation page. That should pull up the voting page. If not, check to see if there is a "VOTE" tab on the left-hand menu. It should bring you to an interactive map featuring all 25 sites and their descriptions. From there, you should be able to click on a place and vote for it.

Full disclosure: MPR's Fitzgerald Theater is one of the contenders.

Voting continues until Oct. 12. The winner of the popular vote is guaranteed up to $125,000. The remainder of the $1 million in grants will be given to a number of the other sites after review by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and an advisory committee co-chaired by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.