urbanMSP

LL Bean is building a 29,000 sq. ft store in the first floor of the former BLoomingdale's space. I will be there, I love this store. This the last remaining space of the former Bloomingdale's store.

LL Bean is building a 29,000 sq. ft store in the first floor of the former BLoomingdale's space. I will be there, I love this store. This the last remaining space of the former Bloomingdale's store.

What else moved in there. Last I know only 4 ever young was the only store that had committed and built out?
I'll also be checking out LL Bean when they open.

the second floor space is still available - they've yet to announce what will fill.

Oopsie! Bad news bears for the 400 bar

http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2 ... notice.php

Aquarium In Mall Of America Getting $2 Million Expansion
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/10/0 ... expansion/

Sea Life Minnesota, the aquarium inside the Mall of America, is getting its biggest expansion since opening.
The aquarium announced Wednesday a $2 million expansion that should be completed by March.

At the heart of the expansion is Stingray Adventure. A press release from the aquarium said guests will get to touch and feed dozens of stingrays housed in a 15,000 gallon touchpool. Children all ages can take part in the exhibit. [...]

Aquarium In Mall Of America Getting $2 Million Expansion
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/10/0 ... expansion/

Sea Life Minnesota, the aquarium inside the Mall of America, is getting its biggest expansion since opening.
The aquarium announced Wednesday a $2 million expansion that should be completed by March.

At the heart of the expansion is Stingray Adventure. A press release from the aquarium said guests will get to touch and feed dozens of stingrays housed in a 15,000 gallon touchpool. Children all ages can take part in the exhibit. [...]

Curious, is this an expansion in square footage or just a repositioning of under used space that no long really attracts the visitors to stay in that area very long?

Curious, is this an expansion in square footage or just a repositioning of under used space that no long really attracts the visitors to stay in that area very long?

I read it as they were just updating existing space for this larger exhibit.
I'd guess if they were expanding, the article would explain that better. I'm not even sure there is room to expand, due to the underbelly workings of MOA. I'm pretty sure that space is pretty prime.

I hope this doesn't mean a price increase. I like the aquarium but it's absolutely absurd it costs MORE to go there for 45 minutes to an hour than it does to go to the MN Zoo for several hours.

Did they every remodel the West Market section of MOA or will that wait until they remodel the North section of the mall that will adjoin to the new section they are currently building? Have not been into MOA since last February. Seeing construction pics made me wonder?

Did they every remodel the West Market section of MOA or will that wait until they remodel the North section of the mall that will adjoin to the new section they are currently building? Have not been into MOA since last February. Seeing construction pics made me wonder?

They have remodeled the East, South and currently are wrapping up the West side. I pretty certain the North side has not been done - so it would make sense that it'll happen in conjunction with the expansion happening in that direction.

Tenants!? Who needs em!?!?!

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... ction.html

Gutsy. It wouldn't be too difficult to fill up, I'd reckon.

Walked thru the West Market yesterday and saw a great improvement to the corridor. While I did like how the original reminded me of a train station. I much prefer the white vs green color motif. It is much brighter and feels a bit more welcoming. Looks like the ground floor is the last to get completed. Still need to get flooring for much of that level.

They seem to be coming along nicely with the steel work on the 2 towers.

Walked thru the West Market yesterday and saw a great improvement to the corridor. While I did like how the original reminded me of a train station. I much prefer the white vs green color motif. It is much brighter and feels a bit more welcoming. Looks like the ground floor is the last to get completed. Still need to get flooring for much of that level.

They seem to be coming along nicely with the steel work on the 2 towers.

Haha...funny you mention this. My girlfriend and I were there today and as we rounded the corner by Best Buy we both kinda stopped and said "whoa, something seems different here." I immediately noticed the floor tiling and she commented on how bright it was in the entire area. Vast improvement, IMO.

I never really realized the West Market was themed after a train station until I read that they were taking it out. I don't really like things like that anyway, what I view as a caricature of architecture. So I agree it's brighter and probably better.

Weren't the 4 sides all originally modeled after certain themes? I remember reading that somewhere. One was a train station but now I can't remember the others...

The four distinct themes of the MOA were not extreme caricatures. They were actually effective ways of differentiating place within the mall, giving subtle visual cues of where one was. I liked it a lot, and that's coming from a major MOA critic who avoids going there at all costs.

They were different, but that doesn't make the West Market not be a caricature of a Victorian railway station.

They were different, but that doesn't make the West Market not be a caricature of a Victorian railway station.

I think that was the look that they were going for. Maybe it was to help the international tourist feel at home. LOL It is basically the same design, but with a new color scheme and more durable flooring. The dark green and grey made you feel like you were entering a train shed. The white color really brightens up the space and should help reduce lighting costs for that section. West Market was my favorite section when it opened, I really like what they have done to make it more appealing.

I'm not sure it was specifically based on a train station, but maybe -- it was reminiscent of the shopping area at Union Station in Washington, D.C., but I always thought of it as more of an homage to late-19th century shopping arcades which weren't necessarily connected to rail in any way.

The white is brighter, but it makes it a lot harder for me to keep track of my location within the mall. I think three out of four sides are mostly white now, which makes the place a lot more bland to me. At this point it seems like only a matter of time before the north side, designed to look like a narrow European street or alley, ends up getting the whitewash treatment.