Nicollet Mall is the backbone of downtown Minneapolis. The Mall provides infrastructure for the visual, transit and pedestrian connections through the various neighborhoods and districts of the city. The 900 Nicollet mixed-use project responds to and engages Nicollet Mall, creating a structure for its retail and office program elements.

This 800,000-square-foot project complements the historical face of the block opposite, as well as adjacent buildings around the block, enhancing the overall quality of the street and the pedestrian experience.

The building’s program includes a two-level Target store; other retail; office space; and three levels of below-grade parking.  Smaller retailers at the first and second floors enclose the Target store and benefit from a variety of architectural expression that is unique to all four façades of the building.

Four new skybridges link the project to the extensive Minneapolis skyway system.  Breaking with traditional planning approaches, the skyway is located at the outside wall of the building, providing direct visual connection to the street and orientation to the context.

Recognizing the community’s strong attachment to the buildings that once stood on the site, the design incorporates salvaged architectural terracotta cornices and medallions from existing buildings razed to meet the city’s growth towards higher density in the central core. By drawing upon a broad range of feedback from community and city government meetings, under the leadership of Mic Johnson, the design team was able to create a process and a project that is both diverse in expression and a fit into its context.

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Size: 800,000 square feet
Completion date: 2001
Architect of Record: Ellerbe Becket

Mic Johnson was Design Principal for 900 Nicollet while with Ellerbe Becket