Observation Tower

[Minneboy]

Tell me again why the IDS closed their observation deck years ago. I know I recall that I've read many times it was unprofitable. Perhaps they are on the upswing these days as the following article states. I remember coming to Minneapolis from outstate as a young lad on school trips and visiting the IDS deck and it alone was probably one of just a few things that lead to my interest in architecture. http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/04/tilt-g ... ck-center/

[Nathan]

Maybe in order to get an observation deck, we should build a new taller building to look at the big three from

[TommyT]

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/04/tilt-g ... ck-center/

How have I never seen this site before? It's amazing!!

[nordeast homer]

If I recall, the observation deck was closed because it didn't get a lot of use and it didn't make money. I used to go to it frequently as a teenager to watch the new towers being built, but there were many times that there weren't any other people there. If I recall it was one floor below Windows on MN and I believe they just decided to lease the space.

[mattaudio]

Did you know there's a South Bloomington observation tower?
http://goo.gl/maps/8qKNU

[Mdcastle]

SInce you'd still be behind glass, I'm not sure how much better it would be than the Sears Tower glass floor which doesn't cost extra. Certainly not on par with the Las Vegas rides. The main problem I have is the places insist on taking your picture and then trying to sell you them at the end.

[Minneboy]

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/01/04/tilt-g ... ck-center/

How have I never seen this site before? It's amazing!!

I know right? I don't remember how I came across it but it's good.

[DanPatchToget]

Bringing this thread back from the dead after visiting Sydney's Tower Eye and Auckland's Sky Tower, and while I was there thinking about how nice it would be to have an observation tower somewhere in the Twin Cities to get a good view of the region.

In a better world an observation tower could easily be funded publicly, but I'm assuming if the Twin Cities ever has a chance at getting an observation tower it would have to be completely funded privately, and it would probably have to be part of something bigger like the desired entertainment district as part of a new sports venue for the Timberwolves. Since there's been no talk about including an observation tower with a new sports venue for the Timberwolves, I'm guessing that idea is DOA.

Another idea is replace the Space Tower at the State Fair with something much taller and can operate year-round, but since it wouldn't provide good views of the Mississippi River I'm not sure there would be interest in that.

The only other option I can think of is a private developer proposing something that's at least 60 floors high with an observation deck included. I think a little over a decade ago there was a proposal for an 86-floor tower where the Four Seasons Minneapolis now stands, but that proposal was rejected since, IIRC, the developer's funding plan was kind of shady. Additional office space in downtown is definitely not in demand right now, and I can't foresee there being a proposal for 60+ floors of condos/apartments/hotel rooms/retail.

All this is to say that, alas, for now and probably the long-term the Twin Cities will remain without a proper observation tower/deck, but if Minneapolis* wants to attract more visitors from out of state, I think an observation tower/deck somewhere in or near downtown with good views of the river would be a good way to do that.

*I only included Minneapolis since I don't think an observation tower could be built in the downtown St. Paul area with Holman Field Airport nearby

[BikesOnFilm]

I think the best chance is when the banks holding the debt for either City Center or IDS finally give up on waiting for a miracle and they sell for pennies on the dollar.

IDS already has it set up as vague conference rooms for tenants. You just need a place to buy $20-30 tickets, ideally with a mini museum that doubles as a queue, and then put a bar up on top that charges way too much.

I’m sure some PowerPoint somewhere tells a banking conglomerate that having the rooms as an exclusive benefit of big IDS tenants is worth more, but come on. It’s certainly not attracting tenants that can stave off insolvency.

[DanPatchToget]

Would be interesting to see how the view is from the IDS Center these days. It's been 20+ years since I've been up there, and while it would probably be the cheapest and easiest way to get an observation deck in downtown, my concern is with all the buildings near its height nearby are people going to have a good view of the surrounding area (particularly the river) or is the view mostly going to be surrounding buildings like at the Foshay Tower observation deck?

[BikesOnFilm]

Another benefit to IDS - this adds one attraction to downtown’s paltry list of attractions, as discussed elsewhere.

They open it for Doors Open every year. Yes, the few sections where you’re blocked by Wells Fargo or City Center, but overall it’s pretty good.

And on top of that, it has the added advantage of already existing. I really don’t see there being a lot of financing lining up for a single purpose observation tower closer to the river, and now that the World’s Expo people finally got that random agriculture exposition in the 2030s, there isn’t going to be an event that comes here that would spur the construction of one.

[Mdcastle]

Even at this point we could probably buy the IDS building to reopen the observation deck for less than the cost of building a new tower.

[MNdible]

While, yes, you absolutely could buy the IDS for less than it would cost to build a new comparable tower, I think the talk of buying it for "pennies on the dollar" are overblown. The IDS is still one of the premiere office blocks in the upper midwest and has comparatively low vacancy rates.

That said, I think it would be amazing if somebody (Downtown Council? Meet Minneapolis? Philanthropist?) stepped up to subsidize the operation of an observation tower again. It will absolutely be a money loser, but probably at a pretty small scale, and it adds something fun to do downtown.

[mattaudio]

The best spot for an observation tower would be at Fort Snelling or atop Pilot Knob (and yes I realize it's a non-starter). Great views of rivers in three directions, airplane spotting, both downtowns, and more.