Minneapolis Post Office

Downtown - North Loop - Mill District - Elliot Park - Loring Park
Tyler
Foshay Tower
Posts: 976
Joined: June 1st, 2012, 10:10 am

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby Tyler » April 1st, 2015, 3:22 pm

It would be cool to replace the reflecting pools with something like this along washington:(look at the timeline): https://www.google.com/maps/place/Brass ... 34!6m1!1e1

Could build some stuff on either side of Marquette as well.
Towns!

HiawathaGuy
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1636
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 12:03 pm

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby HiawathaGuy » April 1st, 2015, 3:29 pm

It would be cool to replace the reflecting pools with something like this along washington.
Could build some stuff on either side of Marquette as well.
I've walked through this area - it's very nice. There are a lot of great examples of beautiful streetscapes that Minneapolis could (and should) look to Montreal for ideas... we share a very similar climate.

fehler
Rice Park
Posts: 496
Joined: July 30th, 2012, 8:33 am

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby fehler » April 1st, 2015, 3:31 pm

Tons of potential! First, get rid of the west parking ramp, and get the "Nicolette [sic] Mall Greenway" connected to the river. Build broader connections to the Nicolette [sic] Hotel Block and Whole Foods/Warehouse District. Then, improve the east end connections with the Mill District, finish building 301 2nd Street, do something better with the old Federal Building at 200 2nd Street, real street level retail at the Carlyle. Open the Parkway level AND the promenade level to pedestrians. Finish doing something to the old Fuji Ya. Lots of open, empty space here for folks to have fun in, just open it up and it will happen.

mulad
Moderator
Posts: 2753
Joined: June 4th, 2012, 6:30 pm
Location: Saint Paul
Contact:

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby mulad » April 1st, 2015, 3:36 pm

OK, someone's going to have to explain the hate for 20/100 Washington Ave, because I really don't get it.
I just find the verticals on 20 Washington to be too spindly for my tastes. The dark spaces in between the verticals seems like a nice black at first glance, but looking closer, the shade of green is also off-putting. The building has some water features surrounding it, which unfortunately is a detractor for six months of the year when they have to be turned off to avoid the chance of freezing.

100 Washington is just blandness squared.

User avatar
FISHMANPET
IDS Center
Posts: 4241
Joined: June 6th, 2012, 2:19 pm
Location: Corcoran

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby FISHMANPET » April 1st, 2015, 3:51 pm

We build a lot of stuff that can't be used year round, I don't think we should just have a blanket ban on water features. Yeah they're not doing anything in the dead of winter, but are we really able to create public outdoor spaces that are inviting when it's 0 degrees? And I don't think the fleetingness of architectural styles is enough to warrant tearing down an otherwise functional building. Every style goes through a phase where it's new and we love it, as it gets older more people hate it until it's universally reviled, and then slowly we start to like it again until we get to the point where we look back with rose colored glasses and think that because it's universally loved now, that it was always universally loved.

Lancestar2

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby Lancestar2 » April 1st, 2015, 4:15 pm

Also being only 5 blocks away is not that far. During cold weather there is the skyway that is just one street crossing short so it could be easily accessed during the cold weather already, better so if one more skyway connection was created.
I dunno, it's a half mile roughly from the post office to Nicollet Mall station. That's a not insignificant amount given that we generally promote only 1/4 mile spacing for transit stops as the ideal. It's not so much that it's particularly far, but that it's mentally far.

A few people have mentioned Washington being the barrier and cited a transit "cut off," but anyone who has to cross the river to get home rather than the 94 trench (yeah, that's you, Southsiders) knows that transit doesn't really cut off before Washington. The issue is that there's nothing there north of Washington. Who's going to randomly stumble by a food market or the like when it's otherwise surrounded by boring, wide streets that are mostly filled with residential towers. First Street between Hennepin and Third Avenue just might be one of the most drab streets downtown.
-1
Have you guys looked at the Washington Ave redesign proposal? Is it even released yet??? Do you think that should help overcome that barrier mentality? My biggest issues with crossing Washington Ave is the cross walks seem pretty poor quality and if the road is going to be updated it should really help bring the area together right? Plus when you consider Whole foods, Downtown Market and soon to maybe be Trader Joe's all being North or on Washington Ave would help encourage those chickens to cross the road right? Or is the Washington Ave remodel not going to be as effective as it hopes to be?

Thoughts?

twincitizen
Moderator
Posts: 6368
Joined: May 31st, 2012, 7:27 pm
Location: Standish-Ericsson

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby twincitizen » April 1st, 2015, 5:11 pm

For the most part there are still going to be 3 westbound lanes, particularly at intersections. Better, yes, with the cycle tracks and trees & whatnot. It will look great when new, for sure, and should help humanize the area a little bit. I don't think it will be super transformative though, in terms of the mental and physical barriers. As stated above, it's more the sterile 1960s buildings of the Gateway district that kill this area

Lancestar2

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby Lancestar2 » April 1st, 2015, 9:33 pm

For the most part there are still going to be 3 westbound lanes, particularly at intersections. Better, yes, with the cycle tracks and trees & whatnot. It will look great when new, for sure, and should help humanize the area a little bit. I don't think it will be super transformative though, in terms of the mental and physical barriers. As stated above, it's more the sterile 1960s buildings of the Gateway district that kill this area

That's true, is there any known information about if there is a chance some of those parking lot spaces get developed into buildings that could help bring that urban feeling into that area? Or do you think that area is built out as building anything additional would decrease the value of the existing buildings? Although it is nice walking down that way to the Post Office they have a nice little credit union inside and that general area really gives off a park vibe so it's kinda neat either way.

Wedgeguy
Capella Tower
Posts: 3404
Joined: June 1st, 2012, 6:59 am

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby Wedgeguy » April 2nd, 2015, 11:45 am

When it comes to 20 and 100 Washington, they were designed by a world famous architect. Tearing them down would be met with hostility in the preservation community. It would be like NYC deciding to tear down the Lever House or the Seagram's building. While it may not fit your standards for what you feel is urban, it was the urban style of that period of the century. Washington's problem is that building over the years were build to isolate themselves from the street. The 60's and 70's used plaza set themselves away from the street. What is being proposed is the same situation that got us into this mess, tear down and rebuild yet again to fit our new idea of what the world should be.

xandrex
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1384
Joined: January 30th, 2013, 11:14 am

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby xandrex » April 2nd, 2015, 2:00 pm

For the most part there are still going to be 3 westbound lanes, particularly at intersections. Better, yes, with the cycle tracks and trees & whatnot. It will look great when new, for sure, and should help humanize the area a little bit. I don't think it will be super transformative though, in terms of the mental and physical barriers. As stated above, it's more the sterile 1960s buildings of the Gateway district that kill this area
Exactly this. Washington Avenue doesn't really help the area, but it's not really what makes the area of dull.

It just an unfortunately sized street that also happens to be where a shift in architecture and building use happens. And it doesn't help that the Post Office building itself serves as a monolithic wall that lacks activity.

mamundsen
Wells Fargo Center
Posts: 1195
Joined: November 15th, 2012, 10:01 am

Re: Minneapolis Post Office

Postby mamundsen » August 10th, 2017, 4:03 pm

Has it been reported that there is a new post office going into 811 LaSalle (old LaSalle/Highland Court) ground floor space? They look to be close to opening. PO boxes are in, decals are on the wall and hours are posted on the exterior door.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 51 guests