urbanMSP

"Th parking ramp is the key to this whole project" - RT Rybak

Any project in the heart of a city where the parking ramp is defined as the key feature is totally missing the point.

Didn't he say, "the least interesting building is a parking ramp"?

Is the platform even wide enough to connect the skyway? You need stairs and an elevator and the platform seems so narrow.

I think this building is going to be another eyesore in 30 years. I don't like it.

Where is the kasota limestone? Image 14 of 32 kind of looks like kasota, but the rest all look grey. This building would look a million times better with the kasota coloring on it!

For lack of a better place to post this, BizJournal included this picture of a possible renovation of 505 Nicollet as the sale of the building just closed recently: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kpZwPD9TSTA/UZFHA6XG7DI/AAAAAAAAJWU/aGX69YZV8KU/s800/505nicolletmallhi-res-600.jpg http://www.bizjou...

It is less than a mile (about 3k feet estimating via google maps) from the station to main street. Totally doable. The area from polk and 4th to the river and main has a bunch of development opportunities as well (current and future planned). In one of the city council minutes there was a mention by...

If Anoka can develop their master plan for the area, I think it will pay off. As of now though, there isn't much out there and there really has never been much out in this area except a little industrial stuff. Anoka is my hometown, and the area of this station has always been a ghost town. I'll giv...

Looking at this, there are no surface lots remaining:

Kelm-Helgen also says the design will reflect the hard-fought negotiations over the stadium’s financing. She says Minnesotans shouldn’t expect the kind of multi-million dollar upgrades the Xcel Energy Center or Target Field got from their teams as the facilites were being built. I'm familiar with s...

When we try to do "old world facades" today, you end up with Block E. Unless Abdul has a troop of stonemasons in indentured servitude, you just can't afford to do it well. No joke, these intricate old building facades were built at a time when material was cheap, and labor cheaper. Doesn'...

Snapped a few more pictures today. Good bye ugly louvers: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rokkeHnboqs/UY07KH5-4iI/AAAAAAAAJSk/JaWSFhLEZng/s750/20130510_130709.jpg This is looking up at the ceiling of the second level with Nic on 5th behind me, some of the old ceiling still exists!: https://lh5.go...

I just had an 'aha' moment. IF and when Wells Fargo expands downtown, perhaps they will vacate this horrific thing on Washington Avenue between 2nd & 3rd opening up an amazing redevelopment opportunity. They use that as their secret bank operations bunker. Horrific indeed. Couple that with the ...

The building next door - the TriTech Office Center, sold recently as well. Could it be related? Found the link: http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/real_estate/2013/03/chicago-firm-buys-tri-tech-building-in.html Edit, ok after re-reading both, probably not related, but interesting none the le...

1 Million sq ft from Wells Fargo? Are we talking a skyscraper? I'm guessing not, but wow that's a lot. I used to work at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage - holy hell that place was overcrowded! Very exciting!

For reference, the IDS tower is 1.4 million square feet (according to wikipedia).

Would love to see that Wells Fargo plan!

I think in some places they add support like mentioned in the article, but for the most part I think the limestone itself provides all the support they need. Then again, I am no geologist or a structural engineer (and I didn't stay at a holiday inn).

Also, in comparison to Miller Park, the Xcel is light years ahead. They are the roughly the same age, but they missed the boat with Miller Park, walking around that place makes you feel like you're walking around in a bomb shelter. It's about as welcoming and warm as the dome. I hate it. Populous ha...

I don't mean that it's showing some age as in it's starting to look rundown, or is starting to be a miserable fan experience, or it's no longer nice. I'm just saying the design of the arena looks a little aged in that I feel it was the beginning of the trend to have wide open concourses that open to...

I have really high hopes that TCF, Xcel, and Target Field will be able to sustain themselves for, like, 50 years without needing any major modifications, but who the heck knows?

I feel like Xcel is starting to show some age. Still a kick ass facility though.

It's no surprise really, I see people every day driving on the tracks in minneapolis, especially right in front of the 5th street towers.