Renaissance Square / The Andrus

[1200onthemall]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... 2013-01-14

With this building being across the street from Nick on 5th i think we will start to see other activity here.

[mullen]

getting squeezed out by target's space needs...i like that...keep growing target downtown needs you.

[Nathan]

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... 2013-01-14

With this building being across the street from Nick on 5th i think we will start to see other activity here.

Better ground floor retail become inevitable with the Nic and new Xcel energy building. That's a lot of new Daytime and Nighttime bodies that haven't existed on this end of the mall.

[mattaudio]

I hope someone brings back Hamlin's on the ground floor.... best commercials and stacker club sandwiches in town.

[Avian]

If they'd reverse a couple of the "bay windows" along Nicollet that would make a nice semi-sheltered sidewalk cafe space.

[grant1simons2]

Anyone know anything about this new business permit for "Top Dog"?

Says they were last around in 1992 and now they have a new permit for extended hours and for sidewalk food cart vending

http://apps.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/PIApp/ ... 2924440107

[twincitizen]

I'm guessing it's exactly what it sounds like - a hot dog vendor cart. They must station at 5th & Nicollet or something...though that's weird they provide that as the business address, since they are by definition a mobile vendor.

Perhaps they're of a more semi-stationary variety, like that popcorn shack or whatever it is that is/was always parked by City Center

[Silophant]

Renaissance Square will be renovated and renamed this fall, in hopes of finally filling that pesky retail space and the remaining office vacanies.

[grant1simons2]

I learned this used to not have those massive columns just a few weeks ago. Used to be a classic downtown store front with A LOT of doors.
Here's a Lileks piece on it:

http://www.lileks.com/mpls/andrus/2.html

Apparently it's being reverted back to something similar. Lets hope that's brick and it gets lightened up a bit. And like... please split up the space

[spearson]

I agree with Lileks, I'd rather see it returned back to its original crisp appearance.

I know it's just a low detail rendering of what they want to do, but I hate the arches and this new version somehow looks cheaper than the 80s version we have today.

That said, I can't believe this building has sat with an empty street level for so long. I started downtown fall of 2006 and I've never seen anything in this building, so I am looking forward to something, anything filling the space.

[Silophant]

Wow. Hopefully that's what they restore. I'm excited that they specifically mentioned trying to serve the 24/7 population instead of just the office population. I've been patiently waiting for retailers/restauranteurs to notice that there's about 1200 more people (with more on the way!) living between the LRT and the river than there were five years ago, and that some of them might like to purchase things after 5pm.

[amiller92]

I learned this used to not have those massive columns just a few weeks ago. Used to be a classic downtown store front with A LOT of doors.
Here's a Lileks piece on it:

http://www.lileks.com/mpls/andrus/2.html

Apparently it's being reverted back to something similar. Lets hope that's brick and it gets lightened up a bit. And like... please split up the space

Throw out that rendering. Grab the historical pic from Lileks and to that.

[eastharrietguy]

I learned this used to not have those massive columns just a few weeks ago. Used to be a classic downtown store front with A LOT of doors.
Here's a Lileks piece on it:

http://www.lileks.com/mpls/andrus/2.html

Apparently it's being reverted back to something similar. Lets hope that's brick and it gets lightened up a bit. And like... please split up the space

Throw out that rendering. Grab the historical pic from Lileks and to that.

Agreed! Those arches always looked phony, added along with the dormers on the top when the renovated in the 80s.

[martykoessel]

Yup. Sometimes backwards is forwards.

[Multimodal]

I'm guessing it's exactly what it sounds like - a hot dog vendor cart. They must station at 5th & Nicollet or something...though that's weird they provide that as the business address, since they are by definition a mobile vendor.

Perhaps they're of a more semi-stationary variety, like that popcorn shack or whatever it is that is/was always parked by City Center

I don’t usually quote something 3 years old, but…

Food carts, as opposed to food trucks, are licensed by Mpls to a single location for the entire year.

They are not allowed to move, except with temporary special event permits (weekend street fairs, etc.).

[zlkahn]

Signage is going up and looks like a lot of the exterior work has completed

[sanchopanza]

Glad they didn't paint it black. Looks nice. Hopefully brings street life.

[mattaudio]

The only tacky part is the Twins banner on the Nicollet Mall light post.

[HiawathaGuy]

The only tacky part is the Twins banner on the Nicollet Mall light post.

Or all the missing lush trees they featured in the rendering...

[grant1simons2]

Folks, don't trust rendering site plans. Architects typically only use them to convey the building language

Yah I'm about 95% sure they drew the trees in and the city said something along the lines of, "But we just finished Nicollet. Also you put the trees above a series of fiber, sewer, electric lanes that are shallow buried."